Diego Costa is confident he will be fit for Chelsea's home game against Liverpool on Saturday despite damaging his ribs in midweek as the holders were knocked out of the English League Cup at Stoke.
The forward was hurt in a clash with Charlie Adam and, having attempted to play on, waved to the bench to be replaced after 31 minutes.
Costa was immediately taken to hospital for X-rays on his ribs, with the club conducting further precautionary scans at their Cobham training base.
He will need monitoring before the visit of Jürgen Klopp’s side for a game on Saturday lunchtime that could prove pivotal to Jose Mourinho’s future at Stamford Bridge. There is optimism, however, that Costa has sustained only bruising and should be fit to start.
Mourinho's side languish 15th in the Premier League after Saturday's 2-1 defeat at West Ham, having lost half of their 10 games, with the need to instigate an immediate upturn clear. Support remains within the hierarchy for a manager who claimed the title five months ago and who signed a four-year contract worth £8.5m-a-season in the summer and there is no real desire to cut short his second spell at the club.
But Chelsea are in desperate need of wins to get back into contention for a top-four place. Recent performances have been more encouraging even if results have been patchy, with Mourinho now seeking a third home league win of the term to offer breathing space. Cesc Fábregas should be fit after missing the game at Stoke with a knock. Nemanja Matic returns from a one-match suspension but Branislav Ivanovic is still struggling with a hamstring complaint.
Interim role
Guus Hiddink
, who performed an interim role in 2009 at Stamford Bridge, may be more readily willing to return. “Top-class football will always be attractive,” said Hiddink, 68, who was sacked by the Netherlands over the summer. “Lately there have been offers coming my way, but there hasn’t been anything I wanted to take up straight away. We’ll see – we’ll have to wait.”
Theo Walcott fears he will be out until after the November international break with the calf problem he suffered in Arsenal’s 3-0 League Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday night.
The forward came on as an early substitute for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who injured his hamstring and also faces an anxious wait before he discovers the full extent of the damage.
Guardian Service
