Chelsea take on Aston Villa in the Premier League this week and all eyes will be on the Blues striker Tammy Abraham.
The England international injured his hip during a Champions League game last week which has forced him to miss the Blues’ last Premier League encounter and now there are doubts over his participation in midweek at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking during his pre-match press conference, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has made it clear that Abraham is okay but whether he will play vs Aston Villa still remains to be seen.
‘Tammy is okay,’ Lampard told[as reported by the club’s official website].
‘We are going to give him every possible chance to be fit. There is still some pain in the area of the injury, we will make a judgement call tomorrow.
‘It is painful for him so it about the pain threshold and does it affect his movement, so I don’t want to commit today [on his availability].
‘He was in good form, and when a player is important, as they all should be, you try to give as much time as possible. You need them to be keen, he is always keen, so he is trying his best and we are trying our best to give him time. If he is not ready then we have to go a different route.’
Apart from Tammy Abraham, the Chelsea manager also spoke about Ross Barkley and Antonio Rudiger.
Lampard has hinted that while Barkley is fit enough to start he might very well have to warm the benches in midweek vs Aston Villa. And as far as Rudiger is concerned, the centre-back is very close to making a first-team return and he should be able to play within the next few games.
The Chelsea manager added: ‘Ross Barkley has been sick, he was ill Sunday night. He is in this morning but not recovered enough to be available tomorrow. He has been training well. That has never been a huge issue and now he has to keep that level and push that level and compete for a place. That is up to Ross now.
‘Toni Rudiger is close. He has stepped up his training, particularly in the last week, so we are hopeful he will be available in the next week to 10 days.’
