Injury Update 01/12/09

From the injury files over on football365.com

Isn't it lovely when we can bring you some good news?

Well, that's good news if you're a Chelsea fan, or Ashley Cole, and we can only assume that he's reading. So hello Ashley, but you can skip over this next bit if you want, because obviously you'll already know it.

Cole had to be taken off in the second half of Chelsea's pounding of Arsenal at the weekend with a tweak in his hamstring, but word coming out of Stamford Bridge is that the left-back will travel with the Chelsea squad to Blackburn for their Carling Cup quarter-final on Wednesday eve.

Whether he'll actually play is a different matter, but the important news is that the injury won't keep him out for long, if at all.

The news isn't quite so happy on the hamstring front for Everton, who look set to be without centre-half Joseph Yobo for their Europa League trip to Athens on Wednesday.

The Nigerian was taken off in the Merseyside derby on Sunday, but unlike Cole his muscles haven't quite recovered adequately. However, Jack Rodwell might be OK to take his place, as the youngster appears to have shaken off a groin problem.

Speaking of that region, we were giggling like schoolboys yesterday when we saw that Tony Pulis had apparently 'pulled off' Ryan Shawcross, but we suspect the big man himself wasn't laughing too much.

However, it looks like he'll be OK for Stoke's next game, which is against Arsenal at the weekend.

He said: "I'm hoping I'll be okay and back for the next game at Arsenal, but we'll have to see. I've had enough experience with injuries now to know when I can and cannot play.

"It's always up to me whether I play with an injury or not, but you don't want to make the injury worse and so you'll always consult those who know better first."

Not strictly injury news this, because it doesn't relate to a player and it's not technically and injury, but Sam Allardyce looks like he'll be back at work for Blackburn's home clash with Liverpool at the weekend.

Assistant Neil McDonald said of the big man: "He is at home, he's convalescing and hopefully he will be back in work on Friday.

"He has got through the procedure which is really good and he sounds in fantastic spirits. He can't wait to get back and hopefully Friday will be his first day back."

In terms of player knack at Ewood Park, something of a blow for Rovers will be the absence of David Dunn from their game with Chelsea, after sustaining a calf injury in their last game against Stoke.

Finally,  Wolves winger Michael Kightly is facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines after manager Mick McCarthy revealed he is likely to need an ankle operation.

The 23-year-old visited a specialist on Tuesday after being forced off half an hour into Sunday's 1-0 home defeat to Birmingham, with scans indicating he will have to go under the knife.

McCarthy told wolves.co.uk: "He's had a scan and it looks like he'll need an operation which would be six to eight weeks out."