Eden Hazard has revealed that Chelsea are starting to feel the pace of a long season and hopes fatigue will not cost them in the title race
Chelsea play at Aston Villa tomorrow boasting a seven-point lead over Liverpool and Arsenal, while Manchester City are a further two points behind.
With the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Galatasaray on Tuesday night, Chelsea still have at least 10 games to play this season.
That will take their tally for the campaign to 53 and Hazard admits the matches are starting to take their toll on the squad.
He said: “I think the team are tired but it’s normal because we have played a lot of games. Now we need to concentrate on training to work on our recovery and stay focused. I hope at the end we’ll see that we are on top.
“We have a good team of physios and doctors. We don’t train hard every day because it’s difficult to play a game and do training. We want to stay fresh and be 100 per cent.
“At the moment I can play every game, I’m not injured — I hope! I try to give my best because I know the team want me to score or make assists. We are in good form. It was very important to win at Manchester City [last month] and now we are at the top, we want to stay there.”
Samuel Eto’o is expected to start up front even though he has yet to score a goal away since joining from Anzhi Makhachkala last August.
All nine of his goals have come at Stamford Bridge but Hazard feels the 33-year-old’s presence on the pitch helps him perform at a higher level.
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He added: “It’s a pleasure to play with him because he can do everything with his feet. He knows when I go left or right. We have an understanding and it’s good for me.”
Ashley Cole (knee) and David Luiz (groin) are expected to return to the squad for the match but Fernando Torres (knee) is unlikely to be ready.
