Chelsea without Cesc Fabregas for Sydney FC match but Jose Mourinho’s other stars to travel

CHELSEA will be without Cesc Fabregas when they play Sydney FC on June 2, but striker Diego Costa will travel with an otherwise full strength squad.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 10: Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on May 10, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

CHELSEA will be without their Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas for their friendly clash against Sydney FC on June 2, but striker Diego Costa will travel with an otherwise full strength squad.

Fabregas, who joined the English Premier League Champions at the start of the season from Barcelona, played a pivotal role in Chelsea’s success.

But the 28-year-old had his nose broken by Stoke’s Charlie Adam and was forced to wear a protective mask for the last few weeks of the season. He will have to undergo surgery in the next few days in order to be fit for Spain’s Euro 2016 qualifier in Belarus next month, ruling him out of Chelsea’s end of season tour.

Costa started the season in sensational form, but a recurring hamstring injury saw his contribution decrease, though he did return for Chelsea’s final two games of the season and scored a penalty on the final day against Sunderland.

It’s been a busy week of celebration back home for Chelsea’s stars. They enjoyed an open-top bus parade through the streets of London to show off their trophy and boarded a private jet for Thailand just hours after their end of season awards ceremony, where Eden Hazard was named player of the year. Chelsea will first play against a Thailand All Stars side in Bangkok on Saturday, before travelling to Sydney.

Extra seats have been added at ANZ Stadium for Tuesday night’s game in an effort to push the capacity as high as possible. A complete sellout is expected, with even the restricted-viewing seats directly behind the goalposts snapped up.

With close to 84,000 expected to attend the game, it means Chelsea will be playing in front of twice as many fans as they’re used to. Their home ground, Stamford Bridge, has a capacity of just over 40,000. But ANZ Stadium will still feel like home for the English giants — one end of the ground will be renamed the Shed End for the game.

Originally published as Chelsea without Cesc Fabregas for Sydney FC match but Jose Mourinho’s other stars to travel