John Terry set to miss Spurs game after injuring ankle on 'dangerous' pitch

25 November 2015 08:16

Chelsea captain John Terry is expected to miss Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash at Tottenham, with Jose Mourinho blaming a 'dangerous' pitch for his ankle problem.

The 34-year-old Blues skipper was taken off on a stretcher during Chelsea's 4-0 Champions League Group G win at Maccabi Tel Aviv on Tuesday night and is likely to face scans to determine the extent of the problem.

"For John to leave the pitch with the result 1-0 I know already that he is in trouble," Mourinho said.

"My medical department is really good. John is a special guy, with a special desire to recover.

"(But) to leave the pitch with the result 1-0, I don't believe too much that he can play (against Spurs)."

Chelsea could also be without Ramires, who was absent from the matchday squad after suffering an injury in training on Monday, when Chelsea tried to preserve the pitch.

"The surface was bad and dangerous," Mourinho added.

"The pitch was really bad. Ramires slid and had a muscular injury."

After Gary Cahill's opening goal, Mourinho took it upon himself to replace divots on the pitch in front of his technical area.

He said: "I think after what I did, I think it was worse. I tried."

The Blues' Champions League fate will go to the final group game after an unconvincing win earned successive victories for the first time in two months.

Whether a resurgence, following the win over Norwich, is real will be tested by Spurs, who play in Azerbaijan on Thursday night, with Sunday's noon kick-off time angering Mauricio Pochettino.

Asked about the fixture scheduling, Mourinho said: "Every time I have a view I am in trouble, so I don't have a view."

The Blues boss was also asked about comments made by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who expressed a preference for new champions each season.

"To Mr Scudamore words, I just laugh," said Mourinho, who has already conceded a successful title defence is beyond Chelsea.

Chelsea's confidence was boosted by a win against limited opponents, who were reduced to 10 men when former Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim was shown a straight red card before half-time for a wild kick at Diego Costa.

It took some time for the visitors to put a gloss on the scoreline with Willian's free-kick goal and headers from Oscar and Kurt Zouma earning successive wins for the first time in two months.

There was plenty for Mourinho to ponder after a bust up with Costa at half-time.

"I wanted him to do a certain movement that he didn't," said Mourinho of the striker, who ended a six-match scoreless run against Norwich.

"I was disappointed. I reacted. He reacted too. At half-time in the dressing room a few kisses and a few cuddles."

Porto's home loss to Dynamo Kiev means progression from Group G is by no means certain for Chelsea, who host Mourinho's former side on December 9.

"I need a calculator," Mourinho said.

"I know if we win we finish first. I know if we lose we are going to Europa League. With the draw I don't know.

"I prefer to think we have to win our match."

Source: PA