Samuel Eto'o has offered Chelsea hope that he might yet be available
for Tuesday's return leg of the Champions League quarter-final against
Paris St Germain after the Cameroon striker played a part in training at
Cobham on the eve of the fixture.
The veteran striker, who turned 33 last month, has been absent from
the first-team since suffering a hamstring strain during the 6-0 victory
over Arsenal on 22 March. Eto'o had hoped to play a part at Parc des
Princes last week but was not deemed fit enough to travel but, having
sat out Saturday's comfortable 3-0 win over Stoke, he ventured out on to
the training pitch on Monday morning, joking with Fernando Torres and
John Mikel Obi as he walked with his team-mates from the main building
and out on to the turf.
Eto'o undertook his own stretching routine, working with the
assistant first-team coach Rui Faria, while José Mourinho's squad
conducted their warm-up with the fact the striker was not able to play a
full part from the start an indication of the serious doubts still
surrounding his participation against the French.
But the reality that he felt able to feature at all represents
progress, with Mourinho and his fitness staff now to monitor his fitness
before deciding whether or not to start the game with the Cameroonian.
His potential availability would represent a huge boost to Chelsea as
they attempt to claw back a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Eto'o has
scored 11 goals this season, all at Stamford Bridge, and is the most
prolific of the club's three available strikers. The last of his goals
had opened the scoring early on against Arsenal. Indeed, he has
registered in each of his last three appearances having also been on the
scoresheet against Tottenham Hotspur and Galatasaray.
If Eto'o is not deemed to be ready for the second leg, Mourinho is
likely to select Torres – who was dropped for the first game, with Andre
Schurrle preferred as a makeshift No9 – ahead of Demba Ba for the role.
Chelsea's options are limited against PSG, with Ramires suspended
following his third booking of the competition at Parc des Princes. Both
Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah, who trained with the squad this
morning, are ineligible with Marco van Ginkel, who has featured for
three times for the under-21s since recovering from knee ligament damage
suffered in a League Cup tie at Swindon last autumn, a possibility for
the substitutes' bench alongside the likes of Nathan Ake and Tomas
Kalas.
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Eto'o offers Chelsea hope of return ahead of PSG clash
Monday, April 7, 2014
Eto'o offers Chelsea hope of return ahead of PSG clash
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