Chelsea hopeful Mikel will rejoin squad

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Chelsea are hopeful John Mikel Obi will recover from a knee problem in time for Wednesday’s Champions League game against Maribor.

The Nigerian midfielder was unavailable for Saturday’s derby victory against QPR but boss Jose Mourinho believes Mikel could be included in the squad for the trip to Slovenia.

“I hope so. I’m not sure, but I do hope so,” said Mourinho, who has also warned his side against complacency ahead of this week’s Group G match.

Mikel, 27, has found his first-team opportunities limited, largely because of Nemanja Matic’s outstanding displays.

He has not started a Premier League match this season and his only start of the campaign so far came in the Capital One Cup win at home to Bolton in September.

Ramires, meanwhile, could feature in the Maribor game after overcoming a recent muscle injury. The Brazilian came on as a late substitute against QPR.

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