Hiddink not hopeful Terry will face PSG

Terry will have his injury — a "muscular problem" according to Hiddink — assessed further on Sunday, but his boss believes the quick turnaround between the matches makes him doubtful for the first leg of the last-16 clash at the Parc des Princes.

Published : Feb 14, 2016 11:55 IST , London

Chelsea captain John Terry.
Chelsea captain John Terry.
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Chelsea captain John Terry.

Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink is not optimistic over John Terry's prospects of facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Hiddink watched his captain limp off before half-time in the dominant 5-1 Premier League victory over Newcastle United on Saturday.

Terry will have his injury — a "muscular problem" according to Hiddink — assessed further on Sunday, but his boss believes the quick turnaround between the matches makes him doubtful for the first leg of the last-16 clash at the Parc des Princes.

"He has, hopefully, a small muscular problem," Hiddink told Sky Sports. "Tomorrow we will know how serious it is. Midweek is already Tuesday and we have just two days to recover. I think teams need at least three days, but we don't have. We will see what will be the outcome tomorrow."

At the start of a week of crunch cup ties — Chelsea host Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup next Sunday — the Stamford Bridge club were in rampant mood as goals from Diego Costa, Pedro and Willian put them 3-0 up inside 17 minutes against a Newcastle team that dropped into the Premier League relegation zone.

Pedro added a second before Costa's replacement Bertrand Traore completed Chelsea's scoring during a more sedate second period and Hiddink was pleased to see an explosive start give his team the chance to leave something in reserve for a season-defining week.

"I think we had a kick-start," he said. "We tried to press from the first minute to surprise them and I think we did. We had an early goal and the second goal made them very unstable. Everyone is talking about the Tuesday game and normally you start a little bit slow. If you take advantage during the early stage of the game then you get some rest in your team in the later period of the game."

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