Chelsea vs Middlesbrough Online Live Preview
Chelsea coach Avram Grant does not believe captain John Terry needs a rest despite a number of unforced errors in recent games.
The defender, who has come under fire after mistakes for both club and country in recent weeks, is set to start against Middlesbrough after recovering from the minor hamstring problem that forced him to leave the field at half-time against France in midweek.
But Grant insists Terry was one of his star performers in last Sunday's 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory over title rivals Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
"Against Arsenal he was one of our best players,'' declared Grant. "Emmanuel Adebayor didn't create even one chance against him.
"Sometimes mistakes happen but I didn't see the England game. I have a problem with these friendly games. They're not for judging results, but other things. In the last match, I was very happy with John Terry.''
Grant's only other worry ahead of the visit of Middlesbrough to Stamford Bridge is the fitness of Frank Lampard.
He missed England's game with France because of a stomach bug and the Blues boss confirmed the midfielder had not trained since he returned from international duty and is rated as highly doubtful.
New England coach Fabio Capello handed the captaincy to Rio Ferdinand on Wednesday but Grant believes there is still time for Terry to prove to the Italian that he is the man who should wear the armband on a permanent basis.
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