Terry: Chelsea must prove strength in depth without Matic

The Blues face Tottenham in the League Cup final without either the Serbian or John Obi Mikel and their captain says that the rest of the squad must deal with his absence

Chelsea captain John Terry says that his side must prove their strength in depth in the absence of suspended midfielder Nemanja Matic against Tottenham in the League Cup final on Sunday.

Matic was sent off for his reaction to a coming-together with Ashley Barnes as the Blues drew 1-1 at home with Burnley in their last Premier League match.

The Serbian responded furiously when caught by Barnes’s studs in the second half, with manager Jose Mourinho, and Chelsea as a club, subsequently highlighting four instances in which they believed that referee Martin Atkinson made the wrong decision.

Matic had his ban reduced from three to two matches but he will still miss the Wembley final, while John Obi Mikel has also been confirmed as unavailable by his manager.

“He’s a big miss,” Terry, who captained Chelsea when they lost the 2008 League Cup final to Tottenham, told reporters of Matic. “He’s been a huge part of our success so far this season.

“We’ve got a squad that’s hopefully capable of dealing with it so we have to do that.