Source: Team_Talk
Cole could face Chelsea - Hodgson
Roy Hodgson believes Liverpool's Joe Cole still has an outside chance of facing Chelsea on Sunday, despite the midfielder's hamstring injury.[LNB] Cole appeared to have been ruled out for a fortnight following scans on the strain that forced him off during the second half of last weekend's 1-0 win at Bolton.[LNB]The Reds' head of sports medicine and sports science Dr Peter Brukner had said: "The scan confirmed Joe has sustained a hamstring strain. It is not a serious injury but still means he is likely to be out for two weeks." [LNB]However, Liverpool boss Hodgson has not yet discounted the 28-year-old for the Premier League clash with the champions at Anfield.[LNB]Hodgson told the club's website: "With Cole, it's not as bad as feared. It shouldn't keep him out for that long.[LNB]"I would say it's a week to 10-day injury. The scan was positive in that it's a very minor tear he has, but you can't really put a definite date on how long that tear is going to take to repair. But the physical people are very optimistic.[LNB]"It's a question of how quickly he can recover and what progress he can make.[LNB]"At the moment, he's not even ruled out for the Chelsea game but we'll see how he goes later in the week."[LNB]England international Cole is trying to establish himself at Liverpool after leaving Stamford Bridge on a free transfer in the summer.[LNB]The injury will definitely keep him out of Thursday's Europa League group match against Napoli.[LNB]Full-back Glen Johnson could feature against the Italians at Anfield after four games out with a thigh injury.[LNB]Johnson trained with the team on Tuesday but in-form fellow defender Sotirios Krygiakos was withdrawn as a precaution.[LNB]Hodgson said: "Kyrgiakos is feeling his groin slightly.[LNB]"As a matter of caution, we took him out of today's training session half way through to give him a bit of a rest."[LNB]Forward Dirk Kuyt continues to make good progress in his recovery from an ankle injury and could come into contention to face Chelsea.[LNB]The Dutchman was injured on international duty last month but the problem has not proved as bad as first thought.[LNB]"For the weekend he's a possibility if all goes well with the training sessions on Friday and Saturday," Hodgson said.[LNB]The news is not so positive for Daniel Agger, who looks set to remain on the sidelines for some time. The Dane has been out since September 25.[LNB]Hodgson said: "It's a question of time and there's not so much more the physios and medical staff can do. We have to be patient."
