John Terry has been ruled out of Chelsea’s trip to Japan for the World Club Cup but Frank Lampard has been passed fit to return to action following a calf problem.
Lampard is back in full training and has been included in the Blues squad for Saturday’s match against Sunderland.
However, Daniel Sturridge has failed to recover from a hamstring problem in time for the game and a decision will be taken this weekend on whether the forward will go to Japan.
Interim manager Rafael Benitez planned to take Terry to Asia but has been advised that a long flight may hinder the captain’s recovery from a knee injury.
Benitez confirmed: “Sturridge is training but it is too early. He will not go to Sunderland and we will see if we can do something for Japan.
“Terry will not fly as it will not be the best solution for him. He will not go to Japan.
“Lampard is in the squad and will go to Japan. It’s disappointing for the other two but at least we have one more body.
“Frank is an experienced player. We have a good team and a good squad but we need players with more experience. He can make a difference.”
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This post was last modified on 08/12/2012