Ancelotti to make Chelsea return

Posted Saturday, October 24, 2009 by PA

Carlo Ancelotti is hoping to be back in the dugout on Saturday after rushing home to Italy to be with his seriously ill father.

The Italian coach learned that his father Giuseppe, 86, had been taken sick after Chelsea's 4-0 thrashing of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

His father was in a stable condition on Thursday night and the club's assistant boss Ray Wilkins is confident that Ancelotti will be back in time for the 5.30pm home game with Blackburn in the Premier League.

"I am sincerely hoping that Carlo will be back," said Wilkins.

"His father is not in the best of condition. I spoke to Carlo last night and his father was stable, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will be back. Carlo will decide who plays."

Wilkins will take charge of the side against Rovers if Ancelotti remains in Italy as the Blues look to get back to winning ways in the domestic league.

Last week's defeat at Aston Villa came courtesy of two defensive lapses from corners.

Although Chelsea bounced back against Atletico in midweek, they conceded the leadership of the Premier League to Manchester United.

With United playing Liverpool on Sunday, Chelsea have the chance to return to the summit against Sam Allardyce's team.

Much of the build-up to the Rovers game has concerned Chelsea's bid to get FIFA's transfer ban suspended via the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Chelsea are currently banned from signing any new players for the next two transfer windows after being found guilty of inducing teenager Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens two years ago.

A suspension would allow Chelsea to strengthen their squad in January during a period when they will lose Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Mikel Obi to the African Nations Cup.

However, Wilkins said: "We have got a massive game against Blackburn tomorrow and as far as the transfer situation is concerned I am not overly concerned about that.

"It would be very pleasant to be able to bring people in because we lose some influential players in Kalou, Drogba, Essien and Mikel, but we have a squad here that is more than capable of coping with that situation.

"If we are able to bring people in then all well and good and if we are not, we'll just crack on with what we have got."

Kalou, who scored twice in the demolition of Madrid in midweek is pushing for a place in the starting line-up but may have to settle for another stint on the bench.

Wilkins also insisted that centre-half Ricardo Carvalho, left out of the side against Madrid, was rested and not dropped following their defeat at Villa.

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has angrily demanded an apology from Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni after labelling the Italian's comments about Steven Reid "disgusting".

Reid, 28, has made just two Carling Cup appearances in nearly a year after sustaining a serious knee injury and saw his first-team comeback hindered recently with a niggling Achilles tendon complaint.

When asked about the player, Trapattoni cast doubt on whether he would ever be able to return to his best, saying a full recovery would be "very, very difficult", something which Reid himself declared his surprise at.

Allardyce, though, pulled no punches with his response on the matter, demanding action from both the Football Association of Ireland and Trapattoni himself.

"It's disgraceful, completely out of order," said the Rovers boss, whose side face Chelsea in Saturday's late kick-off.

"He's not talking correctly in terms of Steven's injury. What he's saying is completely untrue and something he should apologise for.

"He's undermined us as a football club, undermined Steven as a player and he has really been very, very naughty in what he has said.

"He should make a public apology and hopefully that will be the end of it.

"Steven's had a long haul and he's trying to resurrect his career and secure a new contract. He also wants to go and play for his country as he has done many, many times and given his all on every occasion.

"There's no player more honest than Steven and to be dealt that sort of a blow at this stage, when he's not feeling the best, trying to come back from a big injury and picking up another little niggle, is very disrespectful to say the least. It's disgusting."

Back on the pitch, Rovers will be looking to collect a first away point of the season in one of the hardest possible venues.

They will have to do so with Italian forward Franco Di Santo, ineligible to face his parent club, as well as Vince Grella and, possibly, full-back Pascal Chimbonda.