Chelsea have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their massive Premier League tie against Liverpool on Saturday morning (AEST), as John Terry left the Liberty Stadium on crutches following Chelsea's draw at Swansea.
The Blues captain seemed to roll his ankle in the final minutes of the 2-2 draw in Wales, and limped through the remaining seconds before dropping to the ground after the final whistle.
Terry was attended to by the Chelsea medical staff and helped off the field before leaving the stadium on crutches with his ankle strapped.
Despite the crutches, manager Antonio Conte believes the defender will be fit for Saturday morning.
“I don't know the extent of the injury but tomorrow we will see the situation about his ankle,” Conte said. “But he is a warrior and I am not worried.”
Following the match Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith backed Terry to return to full fitness before the weekend and hoped the injury would settle down over the coming days.
“If it is long-term it's a blow. They've obviously got a couple of centre-halves with Kurt Zouma on the way back and, of course, David Luiz recently signed,” Smith said.
“Those little twisted ankles, they are painful at the time. I did it enough myself and they can calm down in 48 hours or so. They are heavily icing it, I imagine, and hopefully he won't be out for too long.
“He's got it heavily strapped but it's not in a boot which is a bit more of a serious sign. Hopefully it's just a little sprain and not something that's damaged the ligaments too much.”
