Thiago Silva, the Chelsea defender, has returned to training after being sidelined for over a month due to a knee injury he sustained in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham on February 27. Silva suffered ligament damage, but the 38-year-old was pictured with his teammates at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground on Easter Monday. Despite his veteran age, Silva has made 27 appearances for the Blues this season and has proven to be a rock in defence.
Silva and his teammates were on the pitches ahead of Chelsea’s huge Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid with the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. It is the third season in a row that the two sides have met in the competition, with Madrid going on to lift the title last summer. The Blues will be under the management of club legend Frank Lampard, who is the interim manager until the end of the season following Graham Potter’s sacking.
Lampard has returned for a second stint as boss, but his new tenure got off to a bad start as Chelsea fell to a 1-0 defeat on the road to Wolves, meaning they remain 11th in the Premier League. Having been knocked out of the FA Cup, the Champions League is their last hope of silverware for the season.
Silva is unlikely to feature in Wednesday’s match, although he could make an appearance in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on April 18. It has been a turbulent season for Chelsea, but lifting the biggest cup trophy in club football would certainly make it one to remember. Lampard will be hoping to call upon Silva’s quality for the rest of the season.