Chelsea will put William Gallas through intensive rehabilitation treatment over the next 24 hours in an attempt to restore his fitness before tomorrow's match against the Spanish league leaders as an injury crisis threatens to derail the London club's Champions League ambitions.
Gallas was feeling the effects of a groin injury in the final minutes of Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round defeat at Newcastle and with Wayne Bridge's absence for the rest of the season confirmed yesterday - he had surgery on a double fracture of the left ankle, also sustained in Sunday's match - the Frenchman's fitness has become an even more pressing concern.
Celestine Babayaro's departure, ironically to Newcastle, in the January transfer window left Bridge as the only natural left-back at the club, a position in which Gallas provides cover. Chelsea's manager, Jose Mourinho, would prefer to play an almost-fit Gallas in that role than to switch the right-sided Paulo Ferreira to the left and draft in Glen Johnson at right-back.
That combination was effective in Chelsea's 2-0 defeat of Tottenham this season, but Mourinho's faith in the former West Ham defender's Champions League capabilities has been eroded by his erratic displays in the competition. Having been sent off in the 4-0 win for Claudio Ranieri's side at Lazio last season, Johnson conceded a penalty against CSKA Moscow during the group stage of the current campaign.
Mindful of the advantage a forewarning of Chelsea's line-up would provide to Barcelona, Mourinho will delay making a decision on Gallas's fitness until as close to kick-off as possible. There is, though, more confidence regarding the availability of Damien Duff, who also finished Sunday's game with a limp.
In the absence of the talismanic Arjen Robben due to a broken foot, the Republic of Ireland forward is undoubtedly Chelsea's most creative influence. Mourinho was relieved to learn that the knock to the knee is expected to heal and he should start. The news is worse for Bridge, whose season has ended. "Wayne Bridge's injury is a massive blow for us and for Wayne personally," said the striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. Though the defeat at Newcastle ended Chelsea's hopes of a quadruple, the Iceland international is confident that the setback will not have an irrevocably damaging effect on their season. "It's a high-pressure week but we've shown already this season that we can cope with that," Gudjohnsen said.
Determined to draw the positives from Sunday's reverse, such as the overwhelming second-half possession they enjoyed despite being reduced to 10 men, Chelsea minds are occupied by how to overcome their rash of injuries, however. Bridge's exacerbates the list of long-term casualties that includes Robben and Scott Parker, while Didier Drogba is not likely to be ready for tomorrow's game either.
The presence in the Barcelona line-up of Brazil's playmaker Ronaldinho will trouble the defence - to which the captain John Terry will return after being rested on Sunday - but it is the recent lack of goals that most makes Chelsea fans fret.
They have found the net only once since Robben was injured on February 2nd, although the importance of seeking a precious away goal may be subordinate to a more pressing desire to keep a clean sheet.
