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London - Chelsea captain John Terry will be unable to compete in the Club World Cup later this month because of a knee injury, interim manager Rafael Benitez revealed on Friday.
The former England centre-back has been told not to travel to Japan for the tournament so as not to jeopardise his recovery from the ligament injury he picked up in the 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool in November.
"We've been talking with the doctor. The inflammation during the flight will not be the best thing for him so he will not travel," Benitez said.
"He wanted to go and to help, but it's better that he stays here. We don't know when he will play. We have to wait and see how he reacts."
However, Benitez was able to announce better news about Frank Lampard, who is set to feature against Sunderland in the Premier League on Saturday after overcoming a calf complaint.
Daniel Sturridge will not be able to play at Sunderland due to a hamstring problem, but Benitez is hopeful he will be able to make the trip to Japan.
"Sturridge has been training but it's too early for him so he will not go to Sunderland. We will fly to Japan from Sunderland and we'll see if he can do something in Japan," Benitez said.
"Frank Lampard has been training and will be in the squad for Sunderland and if everything is fine, he will fly to Japan too.
"At least one important player is back because we need character, experience and numbers. Frank is a very experienced player, so this is quite positive.
"At the moment we have a good team but we needed players with more experience. He can have an impact. He scores goals and understands the game."
Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup by winning last season's Champions League but they were knocked out of this season's tournament in the group phase on Wednesday.
