Chelsea expect captain John Terry to be back in action next week, but he will still miss the Carling Cup final.
There were fears that Terry would be out for several weeks after damaging ankle ligaments in Wednesday’s Champions League tie at Porto, but the latest diagnosis suggests he will be back in training in a week’s time.
Blues coach Jose Mourinho said: “I think he should be playing next weekend.”
The injury looked to have aggravated the problem he sustained in training on Tuesday ahead of the last 16 match.
Terry’s absence leaves Chelsea with just one recognised centre-half for the Sunday’s showdown in Ricardo Carvalho.
Mourinho said: “We are not in an easy situation. I do not know when John will be back, but I am cool about it.
“It is unbelievable because of the injuries we keep getting. We don’t have Khalid Boulahrouz and we don’t have John Terry. We have one central defender – Ricardo Carvalho.”
