London - John Terry faces Europa League heartbreak despite trying to convince manager Rafa Benitez to put him on the bench for the final against Benfica tonight.
The Chelsea skipper, who was suspended for last season’s Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich, trained alone in the Amsterdam ArenA on Tuesday night.
Terry boarded Chelsea’s charter jet at Gatwick on Tuesday morning with his left ankle heavily bandaged after he was injured at Aston Villa last Saturday. The Chelsea defender has no chance of starting the final, but is desperate to be named on the bench.
Incredibly, Benitez said that his captain will be assessed this morning before they make a decision. Frank Lampard, who will confirm this week that he has signed a new one-year contract at Chelsea, will captain the team in Terry’s absence.
If Terry, 32, does miss out he will still be asked by Lampard to help him lift the Europa League trophy if they beat the Portuguese side.
Daily Mail