Roberto di Matteo has given us an update on Chelsea's three injury concerns heading into the vital Chelsea vs. Tottenham Hotspur match. With John Terry and Oriol Romeu both missing out on Wednesday's defeat against Manchester City and Branislav Ivanovic coming off injured early in that match, the Blues could have been looking at a substantial injury list, but the manager first two are back in training and available for selection in tomorrow's match.
That's a big boost - Chelsea do much better when Romeu's on the pitch, and the captain's importance to the squad can hardly be overstated. I have the sneaking suspicion that we'd have come away from the City loss with a point or three had Terry been on the pitch (despite the good performance of the centre backs in that one), and Romeu gives Chelsea a good alternative to John Obi Mikel should the midfielder be struggling.
Ivanovic is a different story. Di Matteo has described the right back's inclusion as 'doubtful' after tightness in his thigh, and that's a worry for tomorrow as well as for the midweek game against Benfica. Gareth Bale is a world-class left winger (assuming he ends up playing there), and I don't fancy Jose Bosingwa's chances against him. Or anyone. The manager's admitted that Bale's an interesting tactical problem, and if Ivanovic can't play I sure hope he can come up with a good answer.