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Deco and Carvalho blow for Chelsea

Chelsea FC may have preserved their unbeaten home record in drawing with Manchester United FC but the effort has cost them the fitness of Portuguese internationals Ricardo Carvalho and Deco.

Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are both out of action at Stamford Bridge
Deco and Ricardo Carvalho are both out of action at Stamford Bridge ©Getty Images

Casualties of draw
Playmaker Deco did not even survive the warm-up at Stamford Bridge on Sunday before the summer signing from FC Barcelona suffered a tear to an upper thigh muscle. Carvalho fared little better, lasting only eleven minutes of the 1-1 draw which extended Chelsea's undefeated sequence at home in the Premier League to 85 games. The central defender strained a medial collateral ligament in his knee and faces between three and four weeks on the sidelines.

Predicted absences
A comeback target for the 30-year-old will be Chelsea's third UEFA Champions League Group A fixture, at home to AS Roma on 22 October. Deco will be back before then, with a two-week lay-off anticipated for the 31-year-old, who would therefore miss the Matchday 2 trip to CFR 1907 Cluj on 1 October. Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari may soften the blow of these injuries by signing Brazilian defensive midfielder Mineiro who is a free agent after leaving Hertha BSC Berlin. Before the CFR Cluj game, Chelsea visit Portsmouth FC in the English League Cup and then Stoke City FC in the Premier League.