Petr Cech ready to play through pain

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has insisted that he wants to continue to play, despite being in pain due to a fractured finger.

Cech injured his finger in the 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United last weekend, but still played in Saturday's win over Wigan Athletic.

The 30-year-old says that he hopes to carry on in goal against former club Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday.

"I coped normally but felt quite a lot of pain," Cech told Chelsea's official website. "The doctors left the final decision with me.

"The important thing was to endure the pain. There were quite a lot of shots but none of them hit me directly in the finger.

"When I survived this, then I will certainly be playing against Sparta on Thursday, unless something unexpected happens before then."

Chelsea's win yesterday means that they are now within four points of Manchester City in the Premier League.