Chelsea No2 Gianfranco Zola has praised Gary Cahill for his attitude this season.

The captain could see action tonight against Europa League opponents Slavia Prague.

Zola said, "Gary is in the squad for tomorrow.

"I still do not know whether he will be on the bench but there is a strong possibility. Gary has been exceptional as a professional, he has always been training very well and so I would be very happy to see him back in the team.

"It has been a tough year for him because a manager came with different ideas and Toni Rudiger and David Luiz have done so well together, so he found himself in this position, but I can only speak very well about him because in his position considering the type of player he is, he has always been training and behaving perfectly, so he has my respect."