I WANT TO BATTLE GUATEMALA -MIKEL

•Mikel
Chelsea of England's midfielder, John Mikel Obi (The Catalyst), has set a target for himself to be back in action with The Blues this coming weekend, to be fit and ready to line out for the Super Eagles against Guatemala.

Although a cloud of doubt emerged over the international friendly last weekend, Mikel says he is staying positive that the match will hold and expects to be back in the thick of things for Chelsea before then, although he ruled himself out of Monday's EPL game against Bolton Wanderers.

However, the Lyn Oslo of Norway's former star says he could have actually starred for Chelsea against Danny Shittu and Austin Okocha's former club, but preferred to rest a little longer, while hoping to be back in action with Chelsea for the forthcoming fixture.

Mikel suffered a knee injury in a high-profile English Premier League match against Arsenal in December, following a tackle by Robin Van Persie and has been out on the sidelines since.

Mikel declared emphatically that he had made remarkable recovery from a knee injury that had kept him out for several weeks, and says he is ready to return to the fold for club and country.

'I am gradually returning to fitness much earlier than expected. I was even hoping to be fully fit for this week's game versus Bolton, but I do not want to rush my return.

'It's a good boost for me and Chelsea because no team could be the same in the absence of several key players. Hopefully, most of us are coming back soon,' said Mikel.