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Ballack Return Boosts Blues
Wednesday 19 December 2007 at 08:50  German international Michael Ballack is finally set to make a first-team return for Chelsea after spending eight months on the sidelines.
The midfielder injured his ankle against Newcastle in April and could some part in tonight's (December 19th) Carling Cup encounter with Liverpool.
And the return of Ballack has seen Chelsea's odds of victory slashed, with Blue Square pricing the west London club at 11/10, while Liverpool are the away day underdogs at 11/4 with Ladbrokes.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant welcomed the return of Ballack but admitted that his form since his arrival from Bayern Munich hasn't been the best.
He said: "The first year in the Premier League is sometimes not easy for players but from what I saw I didn't think that Ballack wasn't a good player last year.
"He made his contribution to the team. He was a top player and I think he still is. He has that desire and he might even have more than he did before because he has been out for so long," he added.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro is the favourite to score the first goal in tonight's match, rated at 6/1 with Paddy Power.
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