Azpilicueta expects Terry to maintain levels

Matt Stead

Cesar Azpilicueta backs Chelsea captain John Terry to maintain his high performances during his contract stand off with the club.

Terry on Sunday made his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since declaring Chelsea would not be extending his contract this summer.

The 35-year-old captain thanked supporters following the 1-1 draw with Manchester United, but said there had been no communication with the club over his future.

The Blues maintain a contract offer could yet be tabled to Terry, who is set to make his 699th Chelsea appearance in Saturday’s Premier League clash at home to Newcastle.

Spain full-back Azpilicueta told the Evening Standard: “It’s a situation between him and the club. I don’t know what’s happening.

“But since I arrived at Chelsea I have learnt a lot from him. I have played alongside him on the left for most of the time, even in training.

“For me, I see no difference in the way he’s performing on the pitch, the way he’s playing and he is giving everything for the team as always.”

Terry’s central defensive partner in recent weeks has been Kurt Zouma, who suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury against United.

The France defender was poised to undergo scans on Monday, with interim boss Guus Hiddink expressing hope Zouma would not be ruled out for the season.

Gary Cahill will likely benefit from Zouma’s unfortunate injury by returning to the starting XI.

Azpilicueta added: “Gary is one of the veterans of the team. We know his quality and in this squad, it is always important to be ready.

“We need everybody, we have big games coming up and all of us have to be ready.”

Diego Costa’s late equaliser means Chelsea are still unbeaten under Hiddink, but only two of the Dutchman’s eight Premier League games have been won.

Midfielder Nemanja Matic praised the recent impact of Costa, who has seven goals in nine games.

“Diego is a very important player for our team,” Matic told Chelsea TV.

“In the last couple of games he’s been doing very well.

“He’s shown he is important for us and he’s going to be very important until the end of the season.”