Terry reveals extent of injury

05 April 2012 10:47

John Terry has dealt Chelsea a major injury scare after revealing he has cracked two ribs and is struggling to breathe during games.

Terry was to undergo a scan after coming off an hour into Wednesday night's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Benfica, a game in which he said he was gasping for air due to the injury sustained in the first leg last week.

The 31-year-old insisted he is determined to play through the pain as Chelsea face a tough run of games, but warned: "I was having a difficult time out there, especially in the first half. I thought it was okay but later in the second half, it just seemed to be getting worse and I was struggling to breathe. Hopefully, I'll be okay."

Despite the injury, Terry was able to complete the match in Lisbon, and played 90 minutes of Saturday's Barclays Premier League win over Aston Villa.

Chelsea have a nightmare run of eight games in just 26 days ahead, including Champions League and FA Cup semi-finals against Barcelona and Tottenham respectively, and can ill afford to be without him for any length of time.

They struggled badly during his absence with a knee injury earlier this year and their remarkable turnaround in fortunes under caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo also co-incided with Terry's return.

It is unthinkable that Chelsea could line up against Barcelona without their captain, who insisted his side were more than capable of upsetting the European champions after winning seven and drawing one of their last nine games.

Terry said: "I am not sure anyone will fancy playing us at the moment because we are a very good side, especially in this competition. Barcelona are a very good team, but home and away we're a very solid side as well.

"We're confident. It is important we keep this momentum because we're going well in the league. That is the key for us."

Gary Cahill came on for Terry on Wednesday night and is confident of stepping into the breach against Barca if necessary. "I am ready to face them if selected. It is exciting to play against Barcelona," the January signing from Bolton said.

Source: PA