Malouda backs stand-ins to finish Euro job
Having slumped at Birmingham at the weekend, Chelsea will again be without captain John Terry, Frank Lampard and Yossi Benayoun for the Zilina game and Yury Zhirkov is a doubt with a calf problem.
Defender Alex may not be risked as he requires knee surgery, despite declaring himself fit to play, and striker Didier Drogba has only just shaken off a dose of malaria.
Chelsea could also ask Alex to play against Zilina before sending him to Brazil for knee surgery, although that is unlikely with midfielder Michael Essien available to play despite a domestic suspension.
“We are missing players but it is not a problem,” said Malouda. “When you play for Chelsea and lose, you expect a reaction from our players.”
Malouda also believes Terry should take his time before returning. Terry has a nerve problem in his right thigh that has troubled him all season and he underwent treatment with a Milan specialist in Italy last week.
Malouda is worried Terry could risk further damage by rushing his return.
“I know it’s a difficult moment for him because when he’s injured, he always wants to be on the pitch because he’s the skipper,” added Malouda.
“But maybe this is the moment for him to take time to really recover from these injuries and come back stronger.”
MSK Zilina have lost all their Group F games so far, including a 4-1 home drubbing by Chelsea, and a record-breaking 7-0 defeat by Marseille in Slovakia. The latter thrashing was only the second time a team has conceded six or more goals at home in the Champions League, following Brondby’s 6-2 loss to Manchester United in 1998/99.
Chelsea require just a point against the Group F whipping boys to be sure of finishing in the all-important top spot.
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