Chelsea Football Club News

• Nickname:Blues
• Founded:1905
• Manager:Roberto Di Matteo

• Ground:Stamford Bridge
• Capacity:42,440

Ancelotti explains Lampard's absence

24 Sep 2010 - 09:23:36

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Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has allayed fears that Frank Lampard is facing a lengthy period on the sidelines despite ruling the midfielder out of Saturday's trip to Manchester City.

Lampard will miss his fifth consecutive game for the Blues after undergoing surgery on a hernia problem during the recent international break.

The 32-year-old England international could also miss next week's Champions League encounter with Marseille plus the home game against Arsenal on September 3.

But despite fears over Lampard's long-term fitness, Ancelotti claims the lay-off is designed to ensure the injury does not return in the future.

"He has a weakness on his adductor and we want to strengthen that to avoid a problem when he comes back to play," he explained.

"The surgery was very good. There's no problem there, but his adductor is weak.

"We want to avoid an injury."