Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been battling illness in the build-up to Tuesday's Champions League last-16 clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

The Spaniard trained on Monday wrapped up in a variety of wooly hats and scarfs as he battled what reports suggest is a heavy cold, with Mourinho admitting his team would miss his influence if he failed to prove his fitness ahead of the first leg in Paris.

"Fabregas has been ill," confirmed Mourinho, who hinted that he hopes the midfielder he signed from Barcelona last summer would be fit enough to play.

"We are a different team with Fabregas, I'm not saying better or worse, I'm saying different. The team grew up from preseason with him on the team and the team went in a certain direction with a style of play.

"Without him, we lose some control, some possession, we become the same team, well organised, good in transition. But with him, we control the game better, we have more control of the game. We have possession of the ball because of the nature of the style of player he is."