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LONDON (AP) -Chelsea's injury problems just got worse, only days before the two-time defending Premier League champions face Arsenal in the League Cup final.
The match at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, could bring Chelsea the first title of the season. It could also leave the Blues nine points behind league leader Manchester United - at least temporarily.
Chelsea will play Arsenal without captain John Terry, who was injured Wednesday in the team's 1-1 draw at FC Porto in the Champions League.
The England center back, who recently returned after a long layoff because of back and calf muscle injuries, was carried off the field with damaged ankle ligaments. While he was being treated and Chelsea was down to 10 men, Porto scored its goal.
"We don't have Khalid Boulahrouz and we don't have John Terry. We have one central defender - Ricardo Carvalho," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said. "We are not in an easy situation. I do not know when John Terry will be back.
"It is unbelievable because of the injuries we keep getting. I didn't think Frank Lampard would play the game after seeing him on the morning of the match. But he is a top professional and wanted to play because he felt the team needed him."
Arjen Robben, who set up Andriy Shevchenko's equalizer at Porto, also went off at halftime but should be fit to face the Gunners.
"We have a lot of problems but we are surviving," Mourinho said. "We cannot cry about it. We have to play against Arsenal with (Michael) Essien and Carvalho at the back. We don't have a choice."
Arsenal lost to PSV Eindhoven 1-0 on Tuesday, but manager Arsene Wenger has already said he won't be naming the same lineup anyway.
Wenger has kept faith with the youngsters who have taken the team to the final, meaning regular starters like Thierry Henry, Gilberto Silva and Tomas Rosicky might at best be on the bench. Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is suspended but Wenger said Manuel Almunia would have played anyway.
By the time the League Cup final kicks off on Sunday, Chelsea could be further behind United in the league title race and, although with a game in hand, might find nine points hard to make up with only 11 games to go.
United visits Fulham on Saturday and has won five of its last six league and cup games, coming off a stormy 1-0 Champions League victory at Lille.
United won the game on a muddy field thanks to a free kick from Ryan Giggs that was taken while the French players were still lining up their defensive wall. Lille has complained to UEFA that the goal should not stand and the governing body of European soccer also is looking into crowd problems at the game.
