Carvalho Cup final doubt
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ByEurosport
Published 09/05/2007 at 22:07 GMT
Ricardo Carvalho has just a "one percent" chance of playing in the FA Cup final, according to Jose Mourinho. The Chelsea boss also revealed that debutant Scott Sinclair has suffered a suspected broken foot following a late tackle by Manchester United's We
FOOTBALL 2006-2007 Premiership Chelsea Ricardo Carvalho
Image credit: Reuters
Sinclair, who has done well in loan spells at Championship club Plymouth Argyle this season, grew into the match but was replaced by Israel international Ben Sahar in the 54th minute.
"Sinclair did very well," he said after the match. "[However] surgery is now waiting for him, he has a broken metatarsal.
"I want to give him more matches, like against Everton [at Stamford Bridge on Sunday], but he is now injured."
Asked whether Carvalho, kept out of the match with medial ligament damage in his knee, would be fit for the match in ten days' time, he replied: "I'm not confident that Carvalho will be fit for the Cup final."
Pressed further upon the chances of him playing, he said: "One percent."
However, Mourinho has a track record of downplaying his players' injury situations, and Sir Alex Ferguson will not be surprised to see Carvalho line up at Wembley.
Andriy Shevchenko has already been ruled out and his strike partner Didier Drogba, the main threat in Chelsea's attack, is recuperating.
"Drogba has an ankle injury," Mourinho said. "We have 15 days to try and get him fit [for Wembley]."
The goalless draw in London would have little in common with the match that will make or break Chelsea's season and decide whether United will win another double, he insisted.
"It is completely different for the Cup final," he added. "The players will be different, the atmosphere will be different, the referee will be different. There is no relation [between the two]."
Graeme Poll had seemingly sent Mourinho behind the dugouts in tonight's match when he showed anger as Wayne Rooney protested a tackle, but he then returned soon after. Mourinho was cryptic in his assessment of the situation.
"I thought I was [banished to the stands], but I wasn't," he said. "He had a normal performance when refereeing a Chelsea match: nothing special. He made me react.
"If somebody had to win the match, Chelsea would have. We had more chances, showed more ambition to win game. Perhaps 1-0 to Chelsea; however it was a fair result.
"But the result was not important."
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