• Champions League

Hazard travels to Madrid but Eto'o out

ESPN staff
April 21, 2014
Eden Hazard has scored 14 goals and assisted seven for Chelsea this season © Getty Images
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Eden Hazard has travelled to Spain with Chelsea for their Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid, but Samuel Eto'o will miss the game because of a knee injury.

Hazard, 23, was expected to miss the game at the Estadio Vicente Calderon on Tuesday night suffering a calf injury in the quarter-final second-leg win against Paris Saint-Germain a fortnight ago and missing the club's open training session on Monday.

But after travelling with the first team, alongside goalkeeper Petr Cech who missed the Premier League defeat to Sunderland on Saturday through illness, it is believed there is a slight chance Hazard could be risked by Jose Mourinho.

Ahead of the Sunderland game Mourinho's assistant Steve Holland refused to rule Hazard out of the game but described him as a major doubt.

He said: "I wouldn't say he's definitely out [of the Atletico game] at this stage, but the fact that he hasn't yet trained with the group would suggest he still remains a doubt."

Defender Branislav Ivanovic is suspended meaning there will be a defensive reshuffle which could involve Cesar Azpilicueta being moved from left-back to right-back and a recall for Ashley Cole.

Fernando Torres is in line to face his former club after Eto'o didn't travel due to injury, while Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are ineligible after representing Benfica and Basel earlier in the competition.

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