Double boost for Chelsea

Rafael Benitez will have defenders Ashley Cole and Gary Cahill available for Chelsea's Europa League semi-final first leg in Basel on Thursday.

Cole has recovered from the hamstring strain he suffered in the FA Cup quarter-final replay win against Manchester United earlier this month, while Cahill has been passed fit following a minor knee operation on 30 March.

But it remains to be seen whether or not Benitez will deploy the pair from the start at St Jakob-Park or ease them back to action, with Sunday's visit of Swansea - and the gruelling chase for the Champions League - also on his mind.

Oscar came off during Sunday's 2-2 draw at Liverpool with a groin problem but was among the 19-strong party that left London for Switzerland on Wednesday morning, as was bite-gate victim, Branislav Ivanovic.

Long-term injury victim Oriol Romeu (knee) is a definite absentee, while Demba Ba is cup-tied.

Basel conquered Tottenham after a penalty shootout in the previous round and are bidding to becomethe first Swiss steam to reach the final of a major UEFA club tournment.

Murat Yakin's side are unbeaten in six home matches during the tournament but there are doubts over he fitness of midfielder David Degen and defender Aleksandar Dragovic.

Benitez has no need to worry about legendary striker Alexander Frei, who played his last game for the club earlier this month, but Marco Streller has equalled Fernando Torres's four goals in the competition and is one to watch.
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Top Richest footballers in the World

Former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzales is the richest Spanish footballer, according to a recent report run by Goal.com on the sport’s richest.

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Raul who nows players for Qatari side Al Sadd, after a spell with German club Schalke, is worth around €44m, beating Barcelona striker David Villa (€43m), Iker Casillas (€35m) and Fernando Torres (€29m).



Another former Los Blancos player, David Beckham is number one on the list, earning a staggering 200m euros, whilst Barca’s Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit second and third respectively.



Another Real Madrid player, Kaka is fourth on the list, whilst Ronaldinho, now playing Brazil sits fifth.



Full List



1. David Beckham (PSG) – 200 million euros



2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – € 134m



3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – € 130m



4. Kaká (Real Madrid) – € 80m



5. Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro) – € 73m



6. Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala) – € 60m



7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – € 58m



8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG) – € 55m



9. Rivaldo (Sao Caetano) – € 53m



10. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) – € 49m



11. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – € 48m



12. Michael Owen (Stoke City) – € 46.5m



13. Raul Gonzalez (Al Sadd) – € 44m



14. David Villa (Barcelona) – € 43m



15. Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) – € 41m



16. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – € 40m



17. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – € 38m



18. Robbie Fowler (no team) – € 37.5m



19. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – € 37m



20. Robinho (AC Milan) – € 36m



21. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – € 35m



22. Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich) – € 33.5m



23. John Terry (Chelsea) – € 31.5m



24. Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) – € 29m



25. Fernando Torres (Chelsea) – € 29m



26. Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray) – € 25.5m



27. Nicolas Anelka (Juventus – transfer) – € 25m



28. Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) – € 24.5m



29. Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – € 24m



30. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) – € 24m



31. Francesco Totti (Roma) – € 24m



32. Petr Cech (Chelsea) – € 23m



33. Neymar (Santos) – € 23m



35. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) – € 23m



36. Joe Cole (West Ham United) – € 22.5m



37. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus) – € 22.5m



38. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – € 22m



39. Damien Duff (Fulham) – € 21.5m



40. Park Ji-Sung (QPR) – € 21m



41. Daniele De Rossi (Roma) – € 21m



42. Clarence Seedorf (Botafogo) – € 21m



43. David Trezeguet (River Plate) – € 20m



44. Xavi (Barcelona) – € 20m



45. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) – € 19.5m



46. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – € 19.5m



47. Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos) – € 19.5m



48. Michael Essien (Real Madrid – transfer) – € 19m



49. Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – € 19m



50. Alessandro Nesta (Montreal Impact) – € 18.5m

Benítez: Lampard and Cole are on their way out

Rafael Benitez has revealed he expects Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole to leave Chelsea in the summer.



Benitez has signed a short-term contract at Stamford Bridge and has adopted a squad that boasts several players with uncertain futures.



Both Cole and Lampard are yet to clarify what their careers hold when their contracts expire, with Cole so far only offered a one-year deal. Lampard has not received a fresh offer and has been linked with moves to China or the US.



Asked if he believes the players, both Champions League winners, will leave in the summer, Benitez said in the Guardian: "I think so.



"I don't have all the information and it's not fair to tell me I'm only here for seven months and then expect me to have an influence at the club over the next two or three years, but I think that's the case at the moment."



Benitez claims he does not enjoy mind games, but that did not stop him taking part in them during his first Friday press conference as he placed Arsene Wenger ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson as a manager.



On his first full day in the Chelsea job, the Spaniard was greeted with a typical barb from his old sparring partner Ferguson, who claimed he was "lucky" to be in a position to win a second Club World Cup.



Benitez, however, responded by talking about how he ranked Wenger above the Manchester United manager when he first came to England, and that any such comments were only in reply to other managers "pushing him".



"No, I don't enjoy that [mind games]. I enjoy my team playing well and winning games. I have to defend my team, my club, so I cannot wait while they push and push," Benitez said.



"You're playing to win trophies, and only one can win it. Some managers in the middle of the table can be friendly, but only one wins it. People try to win in different ways. I like to respect people, but sometimes I cannot because they push you...



"There are a lot of good managers in the world, many who have won trophies. I don't like to talk about other managers.



"When I came to England I knew the other managers. Arsene Wenger was the best manager who had been here for a while. But I cannot talk about these things every day."

Cole charged by FA over tweet

Ashley Cole will face a Football Association charge for posting a tweet which was deemed 'improper and/or brought the game into disrepute'.



Chelsea fullback Cole attacked the FA's Independent Regulatory Commission after they found his team-mate John Terry guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.



The commission also questioned the credibility of Cole's evidence as a witness in support of Terry.



The England international labelled the FA a "bunch of t...." but later deleted the tweet and apologised 'unreservedly' for comments he made 'in the heat of the moment'.



Cole, who was been capped 98 times for England, was included in the squad to face San Marino and Poland in this week's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.



An FA statement released Monday read: "Chelsea FC's Ashley Cole has been charged by The FA in relation to a Twitter comment which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute.



"Cole has until 4pm on Thursday 11 October 2012 to respond to the charge."



Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has already confirmed Cole will face club disciplinary action in accordance with the Stamford Bridge side's social media policy.

Chelsea defenders back in training

Chelsea defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole have returned to light training as they battle to be fit for Saturday's West London derby against Queens Park Rangers.



Terry and Cole were both ruled out of England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday night due to ankle injuries but are bidding to make a return to action for the trip to Loftus Road.



Terry is currently facing a Football Association charge over allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand last season.



The Chelsea captain was cleared in court but could yet face punishment from the FA, with a personal hearing expected to take place later this month.

Ashley Cole ruled out of England squad

Ashley Cole has been ruled out of England’s World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday.



The Chelsea star has failed to recover from the ankle injury that made him miss Friday’s win in Macedonia.



Everton's Leighton Baines, who deputised for Cole and scored in the 5-0 win, will continue at left-back.



Club team-mate John Terry is also a doubt after twisting his ankle in the Three Lions’ victory in Chisinau.



Boss Roy Hodgson confirmed that he could be without the former skipper for the Wembley clash.



"My only concern is the injury to John Terry. I don't think it's a very serious injury, but Tuesday is very close,” said the 65-year-old.



"I will have to wait and see what the doctors tell me."