Jose Mourinho revealed that John Obi Mikel is out for another month after undergoing a surgery.
The 27-year-old has made just four appearances in 2015, due to an injury and his last appearance for the Blues came as a substitute in Chelseaa s 2-1 win at Aston Villa on February 7.
His absence coupled with Nemanja Matica s suspension, saw the Portuguese coach put Kurt Zouma in the midfield in the Capital One Cup triumph over Tottenham. It is now revealed that the Nigerian could be out till early April after his latest setback.
a Mikel had a little surgery. We are expecting him to be out for about a month,a Mourinho said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesdaya s London derby against West Ham.
a One week he is gone, so without too much optimism or pessimism, he will play the first week of April.a
Defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic will complete his two-match suspension after his dismissal for his reaction to a tackle by Burnley’s Ashley Barnes. Zouma’s impressive performance in front of the defence at Wembley on Sunday could result in him continuing in that position for the Blues. However, the Blues boss confirmed that Zoumaa s future isna t in midfield so we might see Ramires starting the game again, partnering Fabregas in the centre.
Mourinho confirmed that he would be making changes for the trip to West Ham United at Upton Park. from the team that won against Tottenham on Sunday night.
a I dona t play the same XI that is for sure,a Mourinho added.
Meanwhile, Oscar, Filipe Luis and Juan Cuadrado could all come in to the starting XI.
Jose Mourinho has a record of six wins and no defeats in seven Barclays Premier League matches as a coach against West Ham so he would be hoping to continue that run on Wednesday night. Wholesale changes to the team are not expected to occur, but Mourinho is likely to utilize his squad and rotate it considerably to ensure fatigue doesn’t result in the league leaders dropping points carelessly.
Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Luis; Fabregas, Zouma; Cuadrado, Oscar, Hazard; Costa