Chelsea v Portsmouth FA Cup final: Early team news
Despite what you may have read, seen or heard bellowed from rooftops by several overexcited Sky Sports News presenters, John Terry is fine.
He’ll be fit for the World Cup, he’ll be fit for the pre-World Cup friendlies and what’s more he’s likely to be fit for Saturday’s FA Cup final despite fears that he’d broken a bone in his foot following a challenge from team-mate Daniel Sturridge in training yesterday.
Terry will line up at the heart of the Chelsea defence as the Blues bid to complete the league and cup double against Portsmouth at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, with all signs pointing to Carlo Ancelotti naming the same starting XI that beat Wigan 8-0 on the final day of the Premier League season. In all honesty, why would he change it?
As for Portsmouth, who now take over from Fulham as the neutrals’ cup final team of choice, most of the pre-match attention focuses on their player of the year, Jamie O’Hara.
The on-loan Spurs midfielder is still battling a double stress fracture in his back, and admits that it could be touch and go as to whether he’ll make it.
“I wouldn’t want to go into the game half fit,” he said, “I’m just going to have a sit down with the manager and make a decision at the end of the week.”
The signs point to him starting what would be his last game for the club – and the same goes for many of his team-mates – but if he doesn’t play then Stephen Hughes could come in.
One of Kevin-Prince Boateng, John Utaka, Aruna Dindane and Frederic Piquionne are likely to miss out as Avram Grant bids to stop a rampant Chelsea in their tracks, with the more defensively-minded Hayden Mullins, Papa Bouba Diop and Marc Wilson all under consideration for starting berths.
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