Chelsea picked up an impressive 3-0 win over Southampton on New Year's Day, but their celebrations were slightly dampened by manager José Mourinho confirming that injured duo Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanović will be out until the end of the month.
Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanović sidelined for a month
Chelsea manager José Mourinho has revealed Frank Lampard and Branislav Ivanović will be sidelined for a month through injury.
Laurence Griffiths
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More from our team sites
Both players sustained injuries in Chelsea's 2-1 victory over Liverpool last weekend, with Lampard withdrawn at halftime due to a muscular complaint and Ivanović in the first half thanks to a 'painful' knee problem. Both players have been first-team regulars for the Blues this season, with Lampard only missing two league games, and Ivanović one.
However, Chelsea's comfortable win over the Saints yesterday has shown that they have the squad depth to deal with these problems. The impressively-ambidextrous César Azpilicueta should have no problems filling in for Ivanović at right-back, while John Obi Mikel will likely be the first-choice replacement for Lampard in Chelsea's double-pivot.
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