Hiddink counting on Costa despite striker’s broken nose
Chelsea striker Diego Costa during the English Premier League football match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London on January 24, 2016. Costa will face a late test to prove his fitness ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with Newcastle United this weekend after the forward broke his nose in training. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- The Spain striker clashed heads with Fikayo Tomori, one of Chelsea’s under-21 players who had been invited to train with the first team.
- Costa, who has scored seven goals in his last nine games, will be fitted with a protective mask and Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink admitted he would not be able to confirm the player’s availability until he has successfully come through a training session.
- Costa’s team-mates Cesar Azpilicueta is also currently wearing a protective mask while Nemanja Matic has only recently stopped wearing facial protection.
- Kurt Zouma underwent surgery in Barcelona this week after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in last weekend’s 1-0 draw with Manchester United.
London
Diego Costa will face a late test to prove his fitness ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with Newcastle United this weekend after the forward broke his nose in training.
The Spain striker clashed heads with Fikayo Tomori, one of Chelsea’s under-21 players who had been invited to train with the first team.
Costa, who has scored seven goals in his last nine games, will be fitted with a protective mask and Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink admitted he would not be able to confirm the player’s availability until he has successfully come through a training session.
“Diego got in a duel and had his nose broken,” said Hiddink. “It was one of the youngsters of the academy who we like to join in with us.
“It was not a tough duel, but he put his nose on the back of the kid’s head. He was very unlucky and his nose was broken. He will return today.
“It was just a small incident, just a duel. But it’s very fragile when you hit your nose on the back of the head of a firm young man.
“I think he will be available. We’ll see how he reacts this afternoon in a very light session, but I hope - I’m not sure - that he will be available.”
"ZORRO TEAM"
Costa’s team-mates Cesar Azpilicueta is also currently wearing a protective mask while Nemanja Matic has only recently stopped wearing facial protection.
“We are a team with a lot of masks,” said Hiddink. “A Zorro team.”
Kurt Zouma underwent surgery in Barcelona this week after damaging his anterior cruciate ligament in last weekend’s 1-0 draw with Manchester United.
The French centre-back is expected to be out for at least six months and will miss the Euro 2016 finals in his home country, but Hiddink insists the player remains in good spirits.
He said: “It was curious for me. I called him a few hours before the operation in Barcelona and tried to encourage him.
“But, surprisingly, his mood was as if nothing had happened. He was very confident. The operation went well. It was severe, it was tough.
“He’s out for months. So it’s a sporting tragedy for him, just in a period where I think he was improving in all aspects of his game.
“Not being able to play in the Champions League in France, and not to be a contender for the Euros, that’s tough.”
