Birmingham City v Chelsea:CHELSEA HAVE postponed the surgery needed by Alex to ensure the centre-half is available for selection for this afternoon's potentially awkward match at Birmingham City as they seek to steer a passage through their defensive crisis.

Alex requires an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee which will sideline the 28-year-old for up to eight weeks. The champions had intended the centre-half to undergo surgery this week but Alex, having trained and sat on the bench with Brazil for their game with Argentina in Qatar on Wednesday, has declared himself fit to feature at St Andrew's, where his presence is much needed given the continued absence of John Terry.

There was relatively optimistic news, too, on Terry, who has visited Dr Jean-Pierre Meersseman, a chiropractor at Milan with whom Ancelotti has worked in the past. Physiotherapy is ongoing to relax the piriformis muscle, which is irritating Terry's sciatic nerve, on a daily basis with Chelsea optimistic their captain will not, as feared, be absent for months.

Asked whether he would attempt to add to his defensive options in January, Ancelotti said: "It depends what happens with Alex and, in the next days, with Terry. Obviously, if both players are not able to play for a long time, we will have to think about this. But only if that is the case."

Ancelotti addressed the appointment of Michael Emenalo as the assistant first-team coach, to succeed Ray Wilkins. "The club made this decision after the decision on Ray, but nothing has changed for me. Emenalo has been our opposition scout and has been supporting me since I've been here. He's not been involved in the training and won't be now because Paul Clement does that. I'm not here to explain how I feel at this moment. I'm a professional."

Guardian Service

Birmingham City v Chelsea Today, St Andrew's Kick-off - 3pm