Chelsea Midfielder Yossi Benayoun Faces Achilles Surgery And Six Months On The Sidelines

Chelsea have confirmed that midfielder Yossi Benayoun will face a six month lay-off with an achilles injury.

The Israeli international midfielder sustained the injury whilst on international duty last week and will undergo an operation on Monday to limit the damage done to the Achilles tendon.

The injury presents a blow to the Premier League champions, as they look to compete on three fronts this season with the league, the cup and the Champions League all realistic ambitions.

Benayoun adds to the injury worries that already face manager Carlo Ancelotti, as both Alex and Saloman Kalou face spells on the sidelines with thigh injuries. Promising young cente-back Jeffrey Bruma is suffering from tight hamstrings.

Benayoun only joined Chelsea from Liverpool for a fee in the region of £5.5 million in the summer, with Englishman Joe Cole subsequently moving in the other direction on a free transfer.

New Headache for Ancelotti : Drogba could miss start of Premier League

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has successfully undergone surgery on a groin injury that had troubled him last season, although his recovery and rehabilitation from the operation could make it touch-and-go whether he will be fully fit in time to help the Blues' when they commence their Premier League title defence at home to West Bromwich Albion on 14 August.

Despite the lingering injury the prolific targetman still fired the Blues to a domestic double during 2009-10, contributing 29 Premier League goals in 31 starts.

The decision to perform the operation on Friday, following his return from World Cup 2010 where he performed for the Ivory Coast, was taken in an attempt to speed up his rehabilitation.

A statement today on Chelsea's official website noted: "Didier Drogba successfully underwent minimally invasive surgery yesterday [Friday] on the groin injury that had troubled him for some of last season.

"The decision to perform the procedure after his return from the World Cup was made to optimise his rehabilitation, and he is expected to return to full training in approximately three weeks."

Chelsea are due to face Manchester United in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, 8 August - a game Drogba seems sure to miss.

Petr Cech To Miss Start Of Premier League Season With Calf Injury

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is set to be sidelined for the start of the Premier League season after tearing a calf muscle in his right leg, the club have confirmed.

Cech, 28, suffered the blow in training yesterday and is expected to be missing for the next month. This has ruled him out of the remaining pre-season friendlies, the Charity Shield clash against Manchester United on August 8 and at least the opening fixture in the defence of their league crown against West Bromwich Albion on August 14.

The Czech Republic international endured a similar knock in the last campaign against Inter in the Champions League and missed several weeks of action between February and March. Reserve shot-stoppers Henrique Hilario and Ross Turnbull will now compete to fill in between the posts at Stamford Bridge.

Two new additions to Chelsea injury List - Ivanovic and Carvalho

     Lengthening the list of injured players , Chelsea face a new challange as they miss out two key players , Ivanovic and Carvalho .Ivanovic was declared unfit for one month when he got a knee injury during the match against Blackburn Rovers. He used to be a good defensive alternative as Chelsea missed the main right back Bosingwa due to an injury very early in the season.
                                                  Now that  the main centre back Carvalho also got ruled out for one month , Ancelotti is up against a squad that lacks quality in defence. Chelsea will have to show real character to bring the silverware back to Stamfordbridge. Now that the important away match against Manchester United in pending , The blues camp will be under enormous tension.

                                                            This should be a lesson to Chelsea that they should increase the quality of their reserve bench. Hope Chelsea use the next transfer season to full advantage.