Midfielder Frank Lampard has an outside chance of returning to the Chelsea squad for their trip to Portsmouth.
Lampard is back in training but is still not match fit and coach Avram Grant may hand him a place on the substitutes' bench as Chelsea search for a record-breaking 10th straight win at Fratton Park.
Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien, Mikel John Obi and Didier Drogba are all still away on international duty in the African Nations Cup while John Terry is out with a fractured foot.
Andriy Shevchenko (back) is also expected to miss out while Ricardo Carvalho serves a one-match ban for collecting five bookings.
Squad: Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Belletti, Alex, Ben-Haim, Ivanovic, A Cole, Bridge, J Cole, Wright-Phillips, Sidwell, Ballack, Pizarro, Lampard, Anelka, Malouda, Sinclair, Makelele.