Raul Meireles misses out for Chelsea

Chelsea interim boss Roberto di Matteo has confirmed that Raul Meireles will miss Saturday's game against Aston Villa with a knee injury.

The Portuguese midfielder picked up the knock following the Blues' 1-0 Champions League win at Benfica in midweek.

Despite Meireles's absence, Di Matteo revealed that Branislav Ivanovic was available for selection after a thigh injury.

"I'm very happy we have almost a full squad to select from, Ivanovic is available again, Meireles is the only doubt," the Italian told reporters.

"[Meireles] got a knock just above his knee so it shouldn't be too serious but he is not ready for [Saturday]."

The match at Villa Park was given the go-ahead on Friday despite Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov being diagnosed with leukaemia.