Guus Hiddink will hand Chelsea captain John Terry until Friday to prove his fitness for the Blues’ upcoming FA Cup clash against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on 21 February. The central defender picked up a hamstring injury and was withdrawn during the Blues’ 5-1 victory over Newcastle United in the last league fixture.
The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage. The former England international missed the clash and Chelsea’s first-team interim manager confirmed Terry will be out for the European fixture and was doubtful over his availability for the FA Cup tie.
According to the Mirror, the scan results do not indicate any serious injury and thus given the 35-year-old time to see if he can make himself available for the selection for City clash. However, at the same time Chelsea fear that they could lose him for up to four weeks if they rush him back.
Kurt Zouma suffered a serious injury in the Premier League champions’ 1-1 draw against Chelsea at home. The France international is out for the season after confirming he has to undergo a surgery after suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage.
Hiddink started Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic in the heart of the back four against PSG, with Baba Rahman starting in the right-back position. If Terry is unfit when City make a trip to Stamford Bridge, the Dutchman is likely to go with the same centre-back pairing he had for the Champions League game.
Since replacing Jose Mourinho in December 2015, the Dutchman has suffered his first defeat at the hands of the Ligue 1 winner. Hiddink and Chelsea are undefeated in domestic competitions – though the majority of them ended in draws – and will be looking to bounce back when they face Manuel Pellegrini’s side on Sunday.
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