Chelsea FC captain John Terry is set to return to action after recovering from a long-term injury as the Blues get ready to welcome Tottenham Hotspur in a potentially decisive Premier League fixture.
Terry has missed 10 out of the last 12 matches for Chelsea after suffering from a hamstring problem and subsequently an Achilles issue. However, the Blues’s talismanic captain has now recovered from his injuries and is expected to start in the potential title decider.
Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink had nothing but praise for the Blues’s skipper ahead of the match. He was quoted by Sky Sports as saying, “He’s [Terry] not a player who says, ‘OK, it’s the end of my career, or maybe I have one or two years more’. The desire is there, and you see it in training sessions as well.”
However, Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will not be available for this game as her serves his two-match suspension after getting sent off against Manchester City.
Eric Dier doubtful
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino might have to deal with two huge blows to his team in the midfield area. Holding midfielder Eric Dier suffered a concussion in the match against West Brom and faces a late fitness test, according to the BBC.
Spurs’ rising star Dele Alli will miss the rest of the season after he was handed a three-match ban for violent conduct following his punch on West Brom’s Claudio Yacob.
Ryan Mason is sure to get a start in this match as a replacement for Alli. Tom Carroll could also be called up if Dier does not pass his fitness test. However, Mousa Dembele is expected to perform the defensive midfield duties of Dier if the Englishman does not play.
The equation for Spurs
The Chelsea clash is a do-or-die affair for Tottenham. Being eight points behind Leicester, Spurs simply must win this match to keep their title hopes alive this season. They must win all three of their remaining Premier League games and hope that Leicester do not get more than one point from their last two matches in order to win the Premier League.
Leicester, on the other hand, can win the title with just two draws from their last two games, which could turn out to be a bit of a tricky task, as Everton and Chelsea are their last two opponents this season.
