Match Preview: Chelsea vs. West Ham United

Chelsea have been plunged into a goalkeeping crisis ahead of Tuesday night's Champions League return leg against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan.

Chelsea lost first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech with a calf strain in the 2-1 opening leg defeat at the San Siro and deputy Hilario collected an abductor injury during last Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Stoke.

The injuries have left the Blues with just Ross Turnbull and Rhys Taylor available for the Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham.

The pair are likely to be on duty against Milan in their return last-16 tie as coach Carlo Ancelotti admits it is unlikely Hilario or Cech will have recovered in time to play.

The loss of Hilario is a real blow for Ancelotti as Turnbull has made just two appearances for the club this season.

Turnbull, who joined on a free transfer from Middlesbrough last summer, played in the 4-0 Carling Cup win over Bolton and Chelsea's 2-2 draw with APOEL in this season's Champions League group stage.

"We have a problem with the goalkeepers,'' admitted Ancelotti.”We don't know if Hilario or Petr are able to play on Tuesday.

"I want to put the best line-up out because it's an important game. We don't have to think about the Inter game.

"We need to win and go back to the top of the table, so I want to put the best players out. But we have problems. Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, and Jose Bosingwa are out. Also Ricardo Carvalho and Hilario is not able to play. So, in goal, Turnbull will play.

"Cech is doing physiotherapy. He did not train on the pitch, so it's very difficult for him to recover for Tuesday.

"Hilario had a problem against Stoke and has not been able to train this week. An Adductor muscle in his groin is the problem. On the bench will go Rhys Taylor, our young goalkeeper from the reserve team.

"I'm not worried. The performance of the team does not rely upon the goalkeeper. I don't want to say we can play without a goalkeeper, because that's an important player for the team, but I have confidence in Turnbull.

"He has not played a lot of games this season but, with the work with our goalkeeping coach, he has improved very well. I have no problem about playing Turnbull against Inter Milan.''

Meanwhile, West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola believes his team need 10 more points to beat the drop - and is challenging his players to upset the form book and pick three of them up at his former club.

The Hammers' disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Bolton last weekend leaves them on 27 points, three above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone with 10 matches remaining.

With their next two games coming away at title challengers Chelsea and Arsenal, many believe it will be West Ham's final eight fixtures which will determine whether they reach the 37-point mark demanded by Zola.

But the Italian sees no reason why the recovery following the loss to Bolton cannot start at Stamford Bridge, a ground where he served Chelsea with distinction between 1996 and 2003.

"Personally, I think 37 should make it for us,'' Zola said, when asked how many points his team will need to secure their top-flight status.

"Some people are saying less, but I want to be sure that 37 will be a good target for us.

"It will be fantastic for me to win at Stamford Bridge. The situation is that we need those points. For me and my team, I think it will be a big boost forward.

"I think we have enough quality here to do it. But we have to improve our consistency.''

Zola will make changes to his team, in terms of both preparation and personnel, for the Chelsea match.

Fit-again centre-back Danny Gabbidon is set to come into the line-up in place of James Tomkins, who was arguably at fault for both goals West Ham conceded against Bolton.

England striker Carlton Cole could start up front on his own, with Zola reverting to a 4-5-1 formation as he looks to improve his side's dreadful away record this season.

With Julien Faubert ruled out with a hamstring injury, Jonathan Spector could be switched from left-back to right-back, with Swiss youngster Fabio Daprela coming in as a replacement.

Ancelotti: Trust In Turnbull

Carlo Ancelotti has been talking injuries ahead of the West Ham game as he welcomes Yury Zhirkov back into his squad and prepares to give a Chelsea league debut to Ross Turnbull.

Hilario has a groin injury suffered in the match against Stoke last weekend and has not trained all week. He is a doubt to face Inter on Tuesday and will not play tomorrow (Saturday).

Ricardo Carvalho is also out of the West Ham match as he recovers from a hamstring niggle but injuries apart, Ancelotti will be fielding his strongest team.

'We need to come back to the top of the table and so I want to put the best line-up out,' confirmed the Chelsea manager after Friday's training.

'We have some problems because we have injuries to some players, but I am not worried. I have trust in Turnbull. He hasn't played a lot of games but with our goalkeeper coach, he has improved very well.'

The 25-year-old has made two Chelsea appearances since signing from Middlesbrough in the summer.One was a full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw against APOEL at the Bridge in the Champions League. He also came on midway through the first half of the Carling Cup win at home to Bolton when Hilario was injured and kept a clean sheet.

He last played in the Barclays Premier League when Boro lost at the Bridge in January 2009.

The goalkeeper on the bench will be Rhys Taylor, a 19-year-old from the reserve squad who played in the FA Youth Cup Final two years ago and was an unused sub for three first-team games during the Christmas and New Year period 2007/08.

'Yury Zhirkov is fit,' Ancelotti reported. 'He trained very well this week and has recovered completely. He can play tomorrow and also Tuesday and I don't think Carvalho has a problem for Tuesday.

'Maybe we will have a problem with goalkeepers because we don't know about Hilario and Petr Cech is doing physio but he hasn't trained on the pitch, so it is very difficult for him to recover for Tuesday.'

Ancelotti also had news on more long-term injured Ashley Cole and Michael Essien. They return to Cobham today from their rehabilitation in France after surgery.

Essien after an initial complication that has put his recovery back three to four weeks is progressing well.

'We are sure that he will play before the end of this season if his recovery continues without roblem.Ashley Cole is doing very good recovery, very fast. We have to look at him but we hope to have him before the three months.'

That was the time period initially predicted for the left-back's recovery. While he is considering his own injured players, Ancelotti has empathy for his opposite number this weekend, Gianfranco Zola.

'It is not easy for him because he has had a lot of injuries. Now, after the recovery of Carlton Cole, they have the possibility to play well until the end of the season. I hope West Ham stay in the Premier League because I think Gianfranco did a very good job this season. It is a very difficult job but he didn't lose his focus.

'The last Italian manager we played against beat me, but I am happy to meet my ex-player.'

Chelsea And Man City Want Neymar

Chelsea and Manchester City lead the race to sign Santos forward Neymar, according to the Brazilian's agent.

The 18-year-old has long been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Manchester United also credited with an interest.

It has been reported that Robinho's loan move, and possible permanent deal, to Santos will give City the priority option for Neymar if he becomes available for transfer.

But the teenager's representative, Augusto Frederico Pena, has announced that Chelsea are rivals to the Eastlands outfit for a contract escape clause which is understood to stand at €35million (£32m).

Pena told calciomercato.it: "There is every likelihood that Neymar will leave Santos in the summer. I think there are more opportunities for English teams.

"In the Premier League, he is followed by Chelsea and Manchester City, although there is nothing concrete."

Terry Hopes To End Mourinho's Dream

Captain John Terry is convinced Chelsea can end Jose Mourinho's bid for Champions League glory when the former Blues boss returns to Stamford Bridge next week.

Mourinho's Inter Milan will arrive in London on Monday holding a 2-1 advantage from the first-leg of their last-16 tie at the San Siro.

It will be the first return to Stamford Bridge for Mourinho since September 2007, when he departed after leading the club to every domestic honour including successive Barclays Premier League triumphs in 2005 and 2006.

Terry, who scored in the FA Cup victory over Stoke last weekend, is confident Chelsea can overcome Inter's slender lead and reach the last eight of the tournament at the expense of the 'Special One'.

Terry said: "Returning to Stamford Bridge with a one-goal deficit and an away goal against the Italian champions is a starting point most sides would take and this side believes we can turn it around.

"We are going for three trophies right now and every game is crucial. Only winning will do."

Agent: Contract Talks For Borini

Chelsea striker Fabio Borini is in talks with the Blues over a new contract, according to his agent.

The talented teenager joined the London club as a trainee in July last year and has shown plenty of promise since then.

He has featured eight times in the first team squad, playing on the domestic scene and in Europe.

Having impressed on each occasion, Borini is now close to securing a new deal which will see him at the club for the foreseeable future.

"There will soon be a meeting with Chelsea for the renewing of the contract," Borini's agent Marco De Marchi told Calciomercato.it.

"In London, Fabio is very good," he added. "The management are very pleased with his performances and Carlo Ancelotti rates him highly."

Asked if Borini may be loaned out to his native Italy once a deal had been tied up, De Marchi said: "I don't think so.

"He wants to remain with the Blues but if there are other options we will evaluate them."

Carlo Ancelotti Keeps Joe Cole Guessing At Chelsea With Liverpool Waiting In Wings

Relations between Joe Cole and Chelsea have been affected by the news that the club are in active negotiations to extend the contracts of both Nicolas Anelka and Michael Ballack.

Cole, whose deal expires on June 30, and his advisers were under the impression that all contract talks were on hold until the summer. Not so, say Chelsea, who firmly dispute that claim. But it has not helped the 28 year-old's sense of being wanted at the club he joined seven years ago.

Cole had asked for a new, improved offer more than two years ago and was told to wait by the then chief executive Peter Kenyon. The priority was tying down Frank Lampard. A serious knee injury, with Cole out for nine months, caused a further delay while other Chelsea players have signed new deals in the meantime. Significantly the midfielder has failed to hold down a first-team place on a regular basis under Carlo Ancelotti.

The official position remains from both sides that player and club want a deal to happen – and one may well be concluded – but it's highly unusual for an international in his prime to be in the situation that Cole now finds himself in, especially going into a World Cup finals which he is danger of missing out on. Certainly part of his negotiations was to get himself into the "upper quartile" of earners at Stamford Bridge with an improvement on his £80,000-a-week salary to take him into six figures.

That has been balked at by Chelsea but although it's clear that money, and length of contract, is a factor the greater concern now appears to be Cole's inability to convince Ancelotti to play him. The recent failure to come on against Inter Milan in the Champions League – the manager preferred to use the pace of Daniel Sturridge – did not go unnoticed while, in fairness, Cole has not been playing convincingly.

Cole is now in a quandary. There will be no shortage of clubs interested in him this summer – and tentative offers are being made – with Liverpool understood to be keen followed by Tottenham Hotspur. Cole has, also, always hankered after the idea that he could play in Spain, having appeared as a La Liga pundit but with a baby on the way, does he want to go overseas?

Carlo Ancelotti '100% Sure' Joe Cole Will Stay At Chelsea

Despite rumours of a move away from the club, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti believes out-of-contract midfielder Joe Cole will stay at Stamford Bridge next season.

The Englishman's contract runs out in the summer, and he has reportedly attracted interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham after so far failing to agree a new deal with his current club.

But Ancelotti, who has used Cole only sparingly this season, is certain the 28-year-old will remain with the club he supported as a boy.

"He will stay at Chelsea next year - of that I am 100 per cent clear. He will be in the squad for next year," Ancelotti said ahead of Saturday's game against West Ham United.

"It’s my aim and the aim of the club to keep him in the squad because Joe Cole is an important player, a very professional player, and one who has a lot of quality.

"For these reasons, we want to keep him.”

Ancelotti's assistant Ray Wilkins echoed the sentiment, playing down reports that the club's board was reluctant to offer Cole a new deal.

“We are desperate to keep Joe. I know the club is and we as a management group feel the same. He is a valuable asset to us," he said.

“I have spoken to Joe on numerous occasions and he is upbeat about his future here.

"He loves Chelsea. He wants to stay at Chelsea and I’m sure the club and his people will sort the situation out.

"We sincerely hope he is here next season."

Drogba Is Africa's Number One

Didier Drogba has been named the African Player of the Year for the second time in his career.

The Chelsea striker previously won the honour in 2006 and has been in the top three places on four other occasions.

On Thursday evening of what is his 32nd birthday, Drogba beat the challenges from other nominees Michael Essien and Samuel Eto'o to receive the 2009 award.

The winner is voted by the national coaches from the 54 countries affiliated to the Confederation of African Football.

Unable to be at the ceremony in Ghana due to his Chelsea training commitments, it was collected on Drogba's behalf by an official of the Ivorian Football Federation.

Both Drogba and Essien were named in the African Best XI for 2009.

Essien was quick to congratulate his Chelsea team mate and friend. Speaking from his rehab camp in France he said:

'Congratulations to Didier for winning this superb award. He has worked hard over the last year for Chelsea and Ivory Coast and he deserves every award he wins.

'The winner is chosen by people who know and understand the game and all three of us in the running would have loved to have won it, but there can be only one winner and this time it is Didier - Well done mate.

'I hope this is a sign of things to come in the upcoming Chelsea versus Inter Champions League game. For a Chelsea player to beat an Inter player Eto'o for the award could be a good omen ahead of the game.'