Chelsea boosted by Robben recovery pace

Chelsea's Arjen Robben celebrates after scoring against Blackburn. Winger Robben could be back in action in time for the Premiership leaders' Champions League crunch with Barcelona on March 8, according to the doctor treating him.

Chelsea winger Arjen Robben could be back in action in time for the Premiership leaders' Champions League crunch with Barcelona on March 8, according to the doctor treating him.

Jose Mourinho's side have badly missed the pace and invention of the Dutchman since he sustained a double fracture of his left foot playing against Blackburn on February 2.

Back-to-back defeats have left Chelsea out of the FA Cup and with a 2-1 deficit to overturn against Barcelona in the second leg of their second round tie.

It was initially thought Robben would be out for six weeks and would miss both legs against Barcelona.

But Jean Pierre Meersseman, the Belgian chiropractor who has been treating the player, believes the Dutchman could make the match.

"I hope he can be back in time to play against Barcelona and I will try to help him make that happen," Meersseman, the medical co-ordinator at AC Milan, told the Mail on Sunday.

"I put everything right with Arjen's foot the last time I saw him 12 days ago. It was an obvious correction and easy to perform.

"He had a fracture on the cuboid bone and his third metatarsal. I corrected one fracture and we adjusted the bones around it. I also needed to balance the muscles and we worked on his posture too.

"I know he was pleased with what I did and now that he is running again. I am due to see him one more time again in the next few days."

Robben has been an inspirational figure for Chelsea this season since joining in a 12-million-pound move from PSV Eindhoven last summer.

With the Dutchman in the side, Chelsea average nearly three goals a game, compared with less than one when he has not been playing.