... Travels With Squad To Valencia
... Confident He Can Complete 90 Minutes
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien flew out for Valencia for Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final return leg at the Mestalla Stadium, confident that he could complete 90 minutes.
After returning to full training on Friday following the Ghanaian’s recovery from a medial collateral knee ligament injury, it was expected that Essien would be in the Blues squad for the away clash.
Chelsea held Valencia to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at home.
Essien, who suffered the injury on March 11 at Stamford Bridge against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup quarter-final, completed a strenuous training session at Cobham in the morning before the squad took a flight to Spain.
He told Chelsea TC: “I hope to be fit on Tuesday.”
Travelling squad: Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, A Cole, Makelele, Essien, Carvalho, Shevchenko, Lampard, Boulahrouz, J Cole, Drogba, Mikel, Ballack, Geremi, Bridge, Diarra, Ferreira, Kalou, Wright-Phillips, Terry and Morais.
