Tuesday November 2 Injury Gossip

Football365.com - The Tuesday November 2 Injury Gossip

According to the Daily Mirror, the news is worsening for the beleaguered Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini.

'Carlos Tevez is almost certainly out of next week's Manchester derby after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury,' the newspaper reports. 'Tevez was due back in Manchester yesterday after City boss Roberto Mancini had given him permission to return home to Argentina to undergo treatment and see his family.

'But the doctor treating Tevez back in Buenos Aires for the blood clot on the striker's thigh said it was too dangerous for Tevez to board the 12-hour flight back to Manchester. The situation is a huge embarrassment to Mancini, who let Tevez return home on the proviso he returned by Monday to be treated by City's medical staff at the club's Carrington training complex.'

And just to compound the impression that the Manchester tide has turned in United's favour, nor would it be a great surprise if Wayne Rooney is passed fit for the game.

Yes, yes, Ferguson said on Friday that his well-paid forward would be out for longer than first feared, but, as The Guardian notes, 'is a confusing picture, not least because of the frequency with which Ferguson changes the prognosis. After initially saying last Friday that Rooney would be out for three weeks, Ferguson then changed that to five weeks when speaking to Sunday newspaper journalists, and the latest update has altered again.'

And that latest update? Here:

"He did a bit of running for the first time yesterday and I was quite surprised by that. He is keen to get back. I still think it will be three weeks and a bit."

Ferguson also had a positive update on Ryan Giggs' recovery from his hamstring problem:

"Ryan started training last Thursday, general stuff with the physios, so he should be ready in 10-15 days. The derby is possible."

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he expects Frank Lampard to return against Liverpool on Sunday and that the midfielder will go straight back into the team:

"Lampard started training with the team last week. I don't think he will be ready for Wednesday but for the next game in the Premier League against Liverpool.

"Now the team without Lampard is doing very well. But when he comes back I think we will have him straight into the team. We have a lot of games, we have a game every three days and all the players will be involved."

Lampard last played for Chelsea at the end of August, but it's unlikely he will face a reunion with Joe Cole at Anfield because there seems little or no chance that the Liverpool player will be passed fit for Sunday's game after limping off at Bolton with a hamstring injury.

The Times suggests that 'Cole had a scan at Liverpool's Melwood training ground and although the results have not been made known, the initial prognosis was that Cole would be out of action for up to two weeks. Should Liverpool's worst fears be realised Cole would miss Sunday's match at home to Chelsea as well as Thursday's Europa League game against Napoli at Anfield and the trip to Wigan Athletic in the Barclays Premier League on November 10.'

Arsenal's team news for the trip to Shakhtar Donetsk will be released later but the general expectation is that the Gunners will field a team similar to the one which faced Newcastle in the Carling Cup last week.

Cesc Fabregas is very unlikely to travel after aggravating his longstanding hamstring injury on Saturday and Alex Song is also doubtful. 'Arsenal's match winner against West Ham suffered a kick to his calf towards the end of that victory and departed the stadium with heavy strapping on his leg. The Cameroonian will be assessed again before the squad depart for Donetsk, with greater emphasis inevitably to be placed on Jack Wilshere in their anticipated absence,' says The Guardian. There's a possibility that Abou Diaby will return but, frankly, we doubt it.

Cheers,
AM