Italian faces balancing act as Chelsea say goodbye to Terry with an eye on Cup final

JOHN Terry may be denied a place in the starting XI for the final game of his 20-year Chelsea career at Stamford Bridge today. On the day Chelsea will be presented with the Premier League trophy, Terry is hoping to start in his last appearance for the club and, having hinted at retirement, possibly his last game ever. But manager Antonio Conte is trying to balance the need to prepare for next weekend’s FA Cup final against Arsenal with a desire to respect Terry. Conte is believed to want to start with his first-choice back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill in a bid to keep his team focused and match-sharp for next weekend.

But it is inconceivable that Terry won’t get to play at all and Conte admitted: ‘I have to think about two situations: to prepare in the right way the team for the final of the FA Cup and then to give John the right situation.

‘I have to prepare both situations in the right way. We have an important target. Then it’s important to find the right situation to give John the best in his last game with Chelsea.’

Conte has impressed on his team that he expects them to make history by beating Sunderland and become the first team to win 30 Premier League games in a season.