Share

Lampard in doubt for opener

London - Vice-captain Frank Lampard may miss Premier League champions Chelsea's opening game of the season against promoted West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti, though, said Brazil midfielder Ramires was on the brink of completing his move from Benfica.

"We have to check Lampard in the morning because he has a problem with his ankle," Ancelotti told reporters on Friday. "Then we will decide if he is ready or not."

The midfielder was hurt in England's 2-1 friendly win over Hungary on Wednesday.

Ancelotti added that long-term injury victims, goalkeeper Petr Cech and defender Alex, would be available to play against West Brom who are managed by former Stamford Bridge favourite Roberto Di Matteo.

Turning to 23-year-old Ramires, who will cost the Premier League and FA Cup double winners a fee of 17 million pounds ($26.50 million), the Chelsea manager described him as a "fantastic player".

"He (Ramires) is doing medical tests," said Ancelotti after confirming the midfielder had received his work permit. "I hope everything will be OK as soon as possible. "He's very young and will be the future of the Brazilian national team and, I hope, the future of Chelsea."

Chelsea have had a poor run of pre-season results, including Sunday's 3-1 Community Shield defeat by Manchester United at Wembley, but Ancelotti seemed unconcerned.

"We are ready to defend the title," he said. "We have fantastic motivation to try and win again.

"We know the other teams will work harder to beat us but we are ready to fight, we are ready if it's possible to improve ... our quality, our personality, our courage.

"We need to have more power than last year if we want to win. The other teams are improving quickly and we have to be ready," added Ancelotti.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 916 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 443 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE