Chelsea captain John Terry has been ruled out of the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie against PSG, but there is good news for Guus Hiddink with regards to attacking duo Diego Costa and Pedro.
Terry suffered a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle United last month, forcing right-back Branislav Ivanović to play in central defence alongside Gary Cahill. Unfortunately for Guus Hiddink and his men, the former England captain has not recovered in time to feature in the deciding leg of their Champions League tie against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The 35-year-old ruled himself out of the game on Tuesday evening, confirming via his Instagram account that he was unable to make a full recovery despite his best efforts.
As such, Chelsea are likely to field the same back four as they did in the first leg in Paris, with César Azpilicueta at right-back, summer recruit Abdul Baba Rahman on the left, and Gary Cahill partnering vice-captain Ivanović at the heart of the Blues’ defence.
Diego Costa, Pedro and Kenedy fit again
Diego Costa and Kenedy missed Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, but both reportedly trained with the first-team squad ahead of Wednesday’s showdown against PSG.
Meanwhile, Pedro was taken off prematurely during the 2-1 win over Southampton with a hamstring injury, but has recovered fully and will be available for selection once again.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the game, Hiddink said (via chelseafc.com): “Diego Costa had a little problem at the weekend which is why he did not play but he was in training today so we will see for tomorrow’s game.
“Pedro had a setback recently but he has been working hard and he has had some full training sessions and had a good session today, so he is back in the squad for tomorrow.”
With Chelsea’s striking options scarce, it will be a surprise if Diego Costa is not named in the starting line-up against PSG. On the other hand, Pedro and Kenedy could be named on the bench and used as impact substitutes if necessary.
