Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has insisted that he has the made right decision in leaving John Terry out of his starting XI to face Shakhtar Donetsk tonight.
Terry has had to settle for a place on the bench for the Group E tie, with Di Matteo choosing to stick with a central defensive partnership of Gary Cahill and David Luiz.
The Blues boss believes that Terry needs to be eased in gently after missing the last four domestic matches following his ban for using racist language.
He told Sky Sports News: "John Terry has only played one competitive game in the last four weeks so he's lacking a bit of match practice, and we need everyone to be at the top of their game tonight.
"My players are all internationals so I'm not gambling. It's the right decision. JT is an important player for us and will continue to be so."
The Blues take on Shakthar at Stamford Bridge tonight in the Champions League, looking to avenge a 2-1 defeat to the Ukrainian champions a fortnight ago.
Liam Power
