Petr Cech suffered a depressed fracture of the skull following
his clash with Reading's Stephen Hunt, with Chelsea now facing a
goalkeeping crisis for Wednesday's meeting with Barcelona.
Cech, the 24-year-old Czech Republic goalkeeper, was knocked
unconscious in the opening minute at the Madejski Stadium in a
clash that left boss Jose Mourinho fearing for his player's
life.
Chelsea have confirmed that Cech underwent surgery after being
transferred to the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford to their
specialist neuro-surgical unit. It is unknown when he will return
to action but he is expected to miss the Barca game.
Reserve goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini could also miss the Champions
League clash at Stamford Bridge after he was also knocked
unconscious against Reading, although he was discharged from
hospital on the same evening as the match.
A statement from Chelsea confirmed: 'The operation was successful
but it is too early to give an accurate assessment of his
condition.
'Naturally everybody at Chelsea wishes Petr, and Carlo Cudicini -
who was discharged last night after being knocked unconscious - a
speedy recovery from their injuries.'
It means Chelsea are set to start third-choice goalkeeper Hilario.
The 30-year-old joined the Premiership champions on a free transfer
from Portuguese top-flight club CD Nacional and has yet to make his
debut.
Mourinho was furious with Hunt following Saturday's 1-0 victory,
claiming the Royals player was laughing after inflicting the
injury.
He also believes Hunt's challenge is similar to Ben Thatcher's
infamous clash with Pedro Mendes, for which the Manchester City
defender received a lengthy ban.
'I am not surprised by what Petr has - to be alive he was lucky,'
Mourinho said after the match.
Chelsea have backed Mourinho's comments, and their statement added:
'Chelsea FC has reviewed the video of both incidents. We endorse
the post-match comments of Jose Mourinho regarding the seriousness
of these incidents.
'Chelsea will be writing to the Football Association with our
observations.'
