Chelsea v Blackburn: Preview

Chelsea - Blackburn

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has welcomed the return to form and fitness of Andriy Shevchenko and silenced suggestions the Ukrainian is not part of his plans.

The striker scored for his country during their Euro 2008 qualifiers in midweek, amid suggestions that he was upset at not being part of Chelsea's squad at the start of the season.

But Shevchenko, who underwent a groin operation towards the end of last season, proved his fitness on international duty and Mourinho is ready to welcome him back into the fold.

Shevchenko will almost certainly play some part in the home clash with Blackburn because Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is missing.

He has not recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the closing moments of their defeat against Aston Villa.

Mourinho confirmed that both Drogba and England midfielder Frank Lampard would be absent from his line-up and there was a doubt about Claudio Pizarro, who was still on his way back from international duty with Peru.

But Mourinho said: ``Sheva is selected. It is good to have him back. We need every player. We are starting the period where we need everybody.

``We need to rotate players. We are now playing in three competitions at the same time. In the next two weeks, we have to play five matches and that's the story we are going to have, hopefully, until the of the season, playing in a lot competitions and matches.

``So we need every player with Drogba injured and with Pizarro still at this moment in the air and on the way back to London, the situation is not easy in attack.

``We need everybody and it is good to have Shevchenko back. He played two matches for his national team, the results were not good for his team but I saw the matches and especially, in the second one, I was happy with the way he performed. So yes, he is selected and he will have minutes.''

Blackburn midfielder David Dunn has told of his serious misgivings about returning to the club he joined as a trainee - but was persuaded by boss Mark Hughes.

Hughes - who rejoined Manchester United in a hugely successful second spell - put the 27-year-old's mind at rest about returning to his old club, which has seen an improvement in his form this season leading to talk of an England recall.

Dunn made his England debut against Portugal in September 2002 and it should have been the catalyst for a career at the highest level for one of the most naturally talented players of his generation.

But it never happened.

He was soon placed on the transfer list by then Rovers boss Graeme Souness, who publicly criticised the midfielder's lifestyle and sold him to Birmingham for £5.5million in July 2003.

That proved an injury-plagued nightmare, but when Blackburn came calling in January it was Dunn himself who questioned the wisdom of moving back to the club he had supported since boyhood.

Dunn, who will line up in midfield against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, returned to Rovers in a cut-price £2.2million switch after turning down an offer from Bolton.

He said: "It's always difficult coming back to a club that you've been relatively successful at but I think I'm a little bit more mature now as a person and a player.

"I'm probably not the same player that left, I've become a bit more defensively minded.

"The three years I had at Birmingham, it's well documented I had a lot of injuries.

"A lot of people say never go back to where you've been and certainly where you've been successful at."

Source: Soccernet.com