Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti brushes aside Man U’s injury woes

LONDON - Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has brushed aside Manchester United’s injury woes by reading out a list of injured Blues players.

“I want to remind you that we have Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa, Branislav Ivanovic and Ricardo Carvalho all out,” The Sun quoted Ancelotti, as saying.

Man U striker Wayne Rooney, who damaged his ankle near the end of a Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday, would miss the titanic battle against Chelsea on Saturday.

And Ancelotti is ready to swap injured players with United boss Alex Ferguson.

“Every team has a lot of injuries. I would like it that United could use Rooney against us, that Fabregas could play for Arsenal and I could have all my players ready. It’s the same,” he said.

Ancelotti did concede, however, that 34-goal striker Rooney’s absence was a big boost for his team.

“Everyone knows how important Rooney is to them. He’s a fantastic player and has had a fantastic season, so this could be an advantage,” he said.

“I respect Rooney, he is one of the best in the world. His image is very good for football and I like this kind of player. I was sorry for what happened to him.”

“But sometimes a team gives more than 100 per cent when a very important player is out. Manchester United have the experience and the players to support the loss of Rooney,” he added.

Victory for Chelsea will put them in the box seat in the title scrap - two points clear of United with five games to go. (ANI)