Chelsea’s Portugal international pair of Ricardo Carvalho and Deco are both set to miss matches for the London club through injury it was announced on Monday.
Defender Carvalho is set to be out for up to a month after a knee injury forced him off 11 minutes into the club’s 1-1 Premier League at home to reigning champions Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Playmaker Deco was injured during the warm-up to that match with what the Blues said on Monday was an upper thigh muscle tear and will be out “for approximately two weeks,” according to a club statement.
PHOTO: AFP
The statement added: “A scan has shown that Caravlho strained a medial collateral ligament in his knee. It is expected to be three-to-four weeks until the central defender is back in action.”
The first game that the pair will both now miss is today’s League Cup third round tie away to Premier League rivals Portsmouth.
Although Brazilian Alex impressed after coming off the bench on Sunday, Carvalho has long been regarded as a vital member of Chelsea’s defense.
“He is a player that is very fast and he smells when the ball is coming,” Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari said of Carvalho last week. “He can read where the ball is going to be and go.”
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