Injured Mikel out for three weeks

SUPER Eagles’ midfielder, John Obi Mikel, is injured and may be out of action for three weeks. The Nigerian star has played minimal role in Chelsea’s campaign this year following the knee injury that has dogged him in recent times. He came in as a substitute in the victory over Aston Villa at the weekend.

  Speaking on the state of Chelsea’s players ahead Wednesday’s game against Everton, the Blues Manager, Jose Mourinho, said Mikel is the only one injured among his stars, adding that Cesc Fabregas, who missed the game against Aston Villa, is ready to play.

  “We have only Mikel injured, with a little problem in his knee,’ he reported.   “He’s the only one who’s not in conditions to play. After that we have a couple of little things that we have to control until tomorrow but normally [they are] not a problem.’’

  Today’s game against Everton is a fixture Mourinho expects to be very difficult he seeks to maintain Chelsea’s seven-point advantage at the Barclays Premier League’s summit.

  Mourinho reiterated what he said after the game at Villa on Saturday – that in this country a seven-point lead is not a big one – but he did explain why he would rather be leading from the front.

  “When you chase you have to win and at the same time you have to wait for your opponent to lose points. In fact, every weekend, you play two matches – your match and the other match. When you are top you play only one match and if you win, fine. I prefer to be top of the league.”