Petr Cech will make his first Premier League start of the season this weekend after regular keeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out of Chelsea's meeting with Hull City this weekend
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech
London: Petr Cech will make his first Premier League start of the season this weekend after regular keeper Thibaut Courtois was ruled out of Chelsea's meeting with Hull City this weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech
Cech has been sidelined this season after Jose Mourinho installed Courtois as his number one, managing just 66 minutes of domestic league action after replacing the young Belgian during the October victory over Arsenal. But the Czech international - who has featured in Chelsea's Champions League and Capital One cup campaigns - will be handed his chance because Courtois picked up a minor injury in training.
Chelsea manager Mourinho said: "Courtois had a little problem in training, a muscular problem, and is not available for tomorrow. "But it's a chance for Petr and a chance for Mark Schwarzer to be on the bench. So I'm more than comfortable. It's a minor problem."
Cech's last league start was at Swansea on April 13 before the keeper suffered a shoulder that kept him out of the final weeks of last season. But Mourinho insists he has no concerns about fielding the 32-year-old who was the club's first choice for ten years before this season.
"He doesn't need to prove anything to me, the club, to his team-mates, to supporters. He has absolutely nothing to prove. "It's just an easy simple situation for him: go and play, which is what he wants to do and has done throughout his career. "It's very comfortable for me, the players and the fans to know that our goalkeeper tomorrow is Petr Cech., it's his natural habitat to be in goal and not on the bench. So we are all comfortable with it. "That's why, since the beginning of the season, it's perfect for me to have Petr in the squad."
Cech's demotion has led to him being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge with Arsenal among the clubs reportedly interested in the experienced keeper. But Mourinho is convinced the player will remain at Chelsea.
He said: "I don't think it's possible for him to leave and I read his agent saying there's no chance of leaving Chelsea in January. "That, plus the fact that I have no information about any offer to him, makes me believe 100% that he's staying. "I repeat: I'm so happy that we have this fantastic situation with the goalkeepers."
No interest in Torres
Mourinho, meanwhile, has ruled out the possibility of Fernando Torres returning to Chelsea in January, five months after leaving the club to join AC Milan on a two-year loan deal.
Torres has struggled during the opening months of the Serie A season, scoring just once in ten games, prompting reports Milan are keen to offload the player. But Mourinho insists there is no chance of the Spain striker coming back to Chelsea.
He said: "I don't know (if he can leave Milan), but he's on loan for two seasons at Milan. He's our player but he's on loan. "We have no space. We have no space for players in our list, either in the Champions League or the Premier League. That's an impossible picture. "But I have to say that nobody from Milan made contact with us thinking about that possibility, so probably nothing is true. More than possibly, he's happy at Milan and Milan are happy to have him."
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
