Chelsea interim boss Roberto di Matteo has confirmed that Raul Meireles will miss Saturday's game against Aston Villa with a knee injury.
The Portuguese midfielder picked up the knock following the Blues' 1-0 Champions League win at Benfica in midweek.
Despite Meireles's absence, Di Matteo revealed that Branislav Ivanovic was available for selection after a thigh injury.
"I'm very happy we have almost a full squad to select from, Ivanovic is available again, Meireles is the only doubt," the Italian told reporters.
"[Meireles] got a knock just above his knee so it shouldn't be too serious but he is not ready for [Saturday]."
The match at Villa Park was given the go-ahead on Friday despite Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov being diagnosed with leukaemia.
Written by
Jack Prescott
Jack Prescott
