Premier League defending champions Chelsea are ready to face Ligue 1 leaders Paris St-Germain in the Champions League last-16 first leg game tonight. The match will be played in French capital at 20:45 local time (19:45 GMT). Chelsea skipper John Terry will miss the game due to a hamstring injury. The 35-year-old defender has not travelled after limping out of Saturday’s 5-1 league win against Newcastle. Brazil midfielder Oscar (calf) comes back in Guus Hiddink’s team, in which young defenders Matt Miazga and Jake Clarke-Salter are also included.
Terry was replaced in the 38th-minute of the first half in a game against Newcastle and was sent for a scan on Sunday. Ex-England skipper participated in Chelsea’s open training session on Monday, but after that the club declared he had not travelled to Paris because of “a small problem with his hamstring and ligament”. Brazil striker Alexandre Pato has also stayed behind, whereas Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic is not allowed.
It is expected that PSG will recall talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, captain Thiago Silva and significant midfielder Thiago Motta who were not played in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Lille. But the French champions will play without Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier, who has been suspended by the club for making homophobic comments about boss Laurent Blanc. Italy midfielder Marco Verratti will not be a part of starting eleven, despite coming back at the weekend from a two-week injury lay-off.
The two sides have been in front of each other in the Champions League knockout stage for the third season in a row. Chelsea qualified for the 2014 semi-finals with an away-goals win, and after that PSG won by the same technique following a fascinating last-16 tie last year. PSG are 24 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 as they go towards a fourth straight title, but Blanc knows that his side will be evaluated by their progress in Europe’s leading club competition. Ex-France skipper said: “We’ll be playing at a level we’re not used to seeing in our national league.”
