John Terry has been ruled out of Chelsea’s final Premier League match of the season as they look to secure a place in the group stages of next season’s Champions League.
The Blues skipper will not play against Everton at Stamford Bridge on Sunday after failing to recover from the ankle injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s Europa League final.
Eden Hazard and Ryan Bertrand are also sidelined with hamstring and knee problems respectively.
A Chelsea victory, in interim manager Rafael Benitez’s final match in charge, would ensure third place and direct entry to the Champions League.
However, if they slip up and Arsenal beat Newcastle, Chelsea could end up in fourth – and needing to negotiate a two-legged qualifying match to reach the group stage.
There is also a potential scenario which would require Chelsea and Arsenal to play-off for third should their league records be identical, but Benitez is unconcerned.
He said: “We want to win on Sunday. We have to approach the game to win and see what happens after that.
“It would be a pity after the season we’ve had not to finish in the top three.
“This is a very good group of players. I am sure that they will improve and with the experience they have from this season, they will really push on next year.”
Former Liverpool boss Benitez said he had ‘a lot of respect’ for Everton and their manager David Moyes, who leaves to join Manchester United after Sunday’s game.
The Spaniard added: “He is a good manager. I think he will do a good job at United.”
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This post was last modified on 17/05/2013
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A win would make a perfect farewell, a draw wont be too bad but a lose would cause boo and jeer.