Chelsea's Bridge, Cole could miss time

London, England (Sports Network) - Chelsea may be without a pair of defenders to start the season as both Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole are battling injuries and are not expected back for a few more weeks.

The 26-year-old Bridge had to pull out of a training session in the United States this past Friday, and according to reports, he had surgery on his pelvis to repair the problem. If Bridge did indeed have to undergo surgery, he is expected to miss the next three months.

Cole, meanwhile, is still recovering from the ankle surgery that he had at the end of last season, and is not going to be ready to play for weeks.

These injuries leave manager Jose Mourinho with a shortage of players to fill the left-back position along his defense. With less than one month until the start of the Premiership season, it looks like Mourinho will turn to newly- signed defender Tal Ben Haim, who normally plays in the center but can also play out wide if necessary.

Ben Haim played 30 games for Bolton last season and was brought to Stamford Bridge to bolster the back line, but should now get to take over a starting spot to begin the season.

Via : www.tsn.ca