PSG v Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas struggling with illness ahead of last-16 tie - 7M sport

PSG v Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas struggling with illness ahead of last-16 tie



Posted Tuesday, February 17, 2015 by Telegraph.co.uk

The Spain midfielder has recovered from a hamstring strain but has picked up a flu bug, leaving Jose Mourinho with a selection headache

PSG v Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas struggling with illness ahead of last-16 tie
Under the weather: Cesc Fabregas (left) trains in a scarf and snood on Monday

Cesc Fabregas is fighting against illness in his bid to give Chelsea a Champions League boost against Paris Saint-Germain.

Midfielder Fabregas trained with the Chelsea squad at Cobham before flying to Paris on Monday, but was wrapped up in a woolly hat and snood.

Fabregas has recovered from the hamstring strain he suffered against Liverpool and made his playing return as a second-half substitute against Everton last week.

But the Spaniard picked up a flu bug and manager Jose Mourinho will make a late check on the player before finally deciding on his starting line-up for the last-16 first-leg clash against PSG.

"We have only little problems, not everybody is perfect,” said Mourinho. “Oscar has a problem, Fabregas was ill, Willian still has a little feeling from the Liverpool game, but everybody wanted to try and I would say that only Mikel is completely out.

"We are a different team with Fabregas, I’m not saying better or worse, I’m saying different. The team grew up from pre-season with him on the team and the team went in a certain direction with a style of play.

"Without him, we lose some control, some possession, we become the same team, well organised, good in transition. But with him, we control the game better, we have more control of the game. We have possession of the ball because of the nature of the style of player he is.”

Mourinho is hoping to team Fabregas up with striker Diego Costa again in his Chelsea team, with the club’s top scorer available after serving a three-match suspension.

"A long rest is not good for him (Costa),” said Mourinho. “I don’t think it’s good for him or any player. A little rest is welcome for everyone, a big rest doesn’t make good for the players. So we are not going to see the best Diego.

"I hope I’m wrong, but probably he will need this game to try to get it (match fitness). We organised a game three or four days ago with the kids for him to compete. We tried to replicate competition for him, but it’s different. But I know his hunger to play, a big appetite to play and the Champions League scenario is a scenario that every player enjoys.”

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is poised to be handed a Champions League recall by Mourinho.

Belgium international Courtois was surprisingly dropped to the bench for last week’s Premier League game against Everton, with Petr Cech coming in to produce a heroic display.

Cech was singled out for praise by Mourinho at full-time of the Everton game after making two superb saves, but it does not seem they were enough to keep his place for the PSG game.

On his relationship with 32-year-old Cech, Courtois said: “It is not really that I will improve a lot being at his side, but I know how he trains and the level we are achieving in training is so high that you improve ... if he makes a great save, you want to make a great save too. So I think we keep each other on a very high level, which is really nice.

"He has been a world-class goalkeeper for so long. If he says something, if he knows something that you maybe don't know about the Premier League, you listen and you can learn from that.”

Courtois, along with Costa and left-back Filipe Luis, reached the final of last season’s Champions League with Atletico Madrid, losing to Real.

"If you've been that close, you want it even more, because it's like you tasted it a little bit, to know what winning is like,” said Courtois. “We were really close, so now you even want to win it more. And I think the next time, if there is a next time, I think if we win it, it will taste even better.

"With the quality we have in this (Chelsea) team, we are one of the favourites. But if you see who's still in it, there are a lot of favourites: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich. There are so many big teams that can win the Champions League. But I think we have a very good team and we're one of the favourites to win the Champions League.”



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