London, United Kingdom (AHN) – Chelsea custodian Petr Cech will not be available for the English Premier League's season-opening matches as he has been laid low by a calf injury.
Petr Cech Out For Month
Team officials confirmed the goalkeeper would be out of action for at least a month after suffering an injury during training. The reigning champions' mainstay goalkeeper, Cech was taken for MRI scans after he limped off the field in visible pain Tuesday. The scans revealed that he has suffered a torn calf muscle.
A club spokesperson said that as a result of the injury the player would miss at least 15 days of practice and another two weeks of action, which includes the Community Shield match against Manchester United at Wembley on Aug. 8 and the inaugural EPL match at Stamford Bridge against newly-promoted side West Brom.
Chelsea, after their opening match against West Brom, have a few more relatively easy outings with the defending champions taking on lowly Wigan Athletic and Stoke after the Baggies.
In Cech's absence, the Blues will have to bank on either former Middlesbrough keeper Ross Turnbull or stalwart Hilario. The duo did duty under the bar last season as well after Cech suffered a similar injury in the Champions League tie against Inter Milan. Turnbull, on a free transfer to Chelsea from Middlesbrough since last summer, made his debut for the Blues in the Champions League against APOEL last season.
His Chelsea debut in the EPL came against West Ham and, despite the fact that he let in a goal, which helped Inter shut the door on Chelsea in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, the goalkeeper still had a decent game.
Football pundits say that Hilario, who is the more experienced of the two, was in line for the job. The 34-year-old Portuguese custodian was manning the posts when Manchester City overcame Chelsea 4-2 at Stamford Bridge last season, but he will still be the first-choice keeper when the Blues take on Manchester United in the Community Shield and in the team's inaugural EPL match against West Brom.
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