Chelsea news: John Terry ruled out for up to three weeks with fresh injury

The Chelsea captain has already faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines this season after suffering ligament damage against Swansea last September

Antonio Conte confirmed on Friday afternoon that the defender is suffering from a muscular problem in his gluteus (Getty)

Johh Terry will miss Chelsea’s home clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon and is expected to be sidelined for the next three weeks, manager Antonio Conte has confirmed.

John Obi Mikel is also unavailable for Saturday’s game but the Italian gave no indication as to how long the player would be absent during his pre-match conference on Friday.

Captain Terry has already faced a lengthy spell on the sidelines this season after suffering ligament damage against Swansea last September. The 35-year-old returned to Chelsea’s match-day squad a month later for the side’s fixture against Leicester on October 15.

“For tomorrow, aren't available John Terry and Obi Mikel,” Conte confirmed.

“John has a muscular problem in his gluteus and Mikel also has a muscular problem. [Terry] did it in training and will be out for two or three weeks.

Neither player featured in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough last Sunday and it’s believed Conte will make few changes to the side that runs out against Spurs on Saturday.

Speaking ahead of the game, the Italian insisted his players are focused and ready for the challenge Mauricio Pochettino’s men pose.

“I am pushing my players to be focused, but I think they are ready,” he said.

“Tomorrow it's important to play good football to win the game. You have to put your passion in the right way.

“Tottenham can create great difficulty for any team in this league, and can fight until the end to win the title.'

“[They have] a great manager, talented players, very young, and I think they are improving. We have to pay great attention.”

He added: “The last game was a bad result for Tottenham [they lost 2-1 to Monaco on Tuesday night] but tomorrow is another one and this is a special derby. It will be a great game.”