Chelsea captain John Terry in race to prove fitness for Paris St Germain clash
Chelsea captain John Terry is not ready to start against Stoke on Saturday and is struggling to prove his fitness for next week's crunch Champions League clash with Paris St Germain.
Terry has been out since injuring his hamstring against Newcastle three weeks ago and is a big miss for the Blues, who are bidding to close the gap on the Barclays Premier League top four and overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg against PSG in Paris.
Hiddink, however, said the 35-year-old is yet to train with the first-team group and will not be risked at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
"He is not fit enough to start," Hiddink said. "He is with the physio and also training. We will see how it goes for Wednesday. He hasn't trained with the group yet.
"Could he be on the bench against Stoke? I don't think so. With this kind of injury we have to have intense training before. It's too much of a risk.
"He has to prove his fitness before PSG. It depends on how he is in training, if it is possible, late on Monday. I will not take any risks with him."
Another player thought likely to sit out against Stoke was Diego Costa after Hiddink previously admitted the striker might need a rest ahead of Wednesday's second leg.
Costa, however, played 90 minutes in the win at Norwich on Tuesday night and also scored at Carrow Road, resuming a revival in form that has now seen him net 10 times in 14 matches.
"On Saturday he will start. Who am I to stop this man?" Hiddink said.
"It's difficult to put a break on him. Maybe during the game he will not have a full game because we monitor them with the data of the physiologists and I can make some conclusions.
"He is in perfect physical shape but we must be careful not to give him an overload in games. He is difficult to stop, he wants to play every game."
Chelsea's win at Norwich means they are now unbeaten in 12 league games since Hiddink's arrival and hopes of rescuing a place in the top four have been revived.
The Blues are now eight points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and Hiddink revealed what he said to the squad when he was first appointed.
"The players responded well when I came in," Hiddink said.
"I said to everyone, 'what was your contribution in the year of the championship and the last half year? Don't give me an answer by word but in training and in upcoming games'. I think they responded."
Meanwhile, Mark Hughes believes Stoke would have had a better chance of finally winning at Chelsea had Hiddink not been brought in.
The Potters head to west London on Saturday looking to win a league match at Stamford Bridge for the first time since April 1974.
It is a ground Hughes has fond memories of from his playing days, but things have not gone so well for the former Blues forward on his trips back as a manager.
The Welshman has lost all three visits to his old stomping ground since taking over at Stoke and the bookmakers fancy a similar outcome this weekend, thanks to the remarkable way the Blues' season has turned around since Jose Mourinho's exit.
"Going back as a manager hasn't been a great experience," Stoke manager Hughes said.
"I've had some decent results, but more often than not I've come away with my teams beaten so we'd like to change that around.
"We are playing well at the moment, we're on a good run of form, which obviously Chelsea are as well so it will be a good match up.
"But obviously we've gone there in recent seasons and really haven't tested them enough, to be perfectly honest.
"We've been in the game for the most part, but they've had the quality to take the game away from us on most occasions since I've been here.
"It would be nice to change that around. Maybe two or three months ago if we had been playing this fixture, it possibly might have been easier.
"That would probably be a little disrespectful to them. They are a good side with outstanding players in every position and it'll be a big test.
"They certainly have turned their form around so we will see how it goes."
Phil Bardsley has added to Stoke's defensive problems ahead of the clash.
The right-back is facing a spell on the sidelines with a pulled calf sustained against Newcastle, while fellow defender Geoff Cameron is a doubt due to ankle pain.
Ryan Shawcross (back) is not yet ready to make his comeback, while Charlie Adam (calf), Shay Given, Glen Johnson and Marc Wilson (all knee) also remain sidelined.
Source: PAR
