Chelsea Special: John Terry, Didier Drogba And Joe Cole Eyeing Historic Double

Terry explained the events that had sent the nation's media into such a midweek lather. "Daniel Sturridge just fell awkwardly on me," he said. "My foot was caught underneath me." While his team-mates may have appeared sanguine, Terry was honest enough to admit his heart was in his mouth. "At the time I thought I had done something quite bad," he said, "which is why I left the training field straight away and came in to speak to the doctor.

"I saw the doctor and said I think I need a scan just in case. It was aching and throbbing a little bit but once we had the scan, it was a couple of hours after that we got the results and it was a big relief."

After a tumultuous season on and off the pitch, Terry hopes that his luck is changing. "On a football club level, I'm looking forward to the weekend and I would have been gutted to have missed that, let alone the World Cup. But thankfully I am fine and looking forward to the game."  

The former England captain conceded the swell of assorted UK and international media had reawakened the squad's sense of occasion, after a natural decompression in the wake of the title triumph. "For the last couple of days it's been fairly quiet actually," he shrugged.

"The reserves are off, the youth team are off and we're the only ones knocking about the building. Today it's starting to hit home that the game's coming at the weekend and we're getting prepared for it. We had Monday off to recover from last weekend and the good celebrations, but everyone's fit and raring to go."

Top scorer Didier Drogba agreed that a swift refocus was the order of the day. "It's a big final, against a team that wants to win and I think we have to make sure we focus and play our game." On a personal level, the Ivorian said his desire was not sated by the dual capture of Premier League and Golden Boot against Wigan, and he is still hungry to add to his 36-goal tally for the season. "If I can help my team to win in whatever way I'll do it, but you can't go into a game relaxed, you have to concentrate. It's the best way, to respect the opposition and give good football to the fans."

Talking of the need to respect the challenge of Portsmouth, Drogba hinted that he might have some inside information from his Ivory Coast colleague Aruna Dindane, who will play his final game for Pompey on Saturday. "They've prepared well for this game - I think they've already gone to their hotel to rest up!" grinned Drogba. "Anything can happen in a final, but we'll do everything to hold on to our trophy."

The 32-year-old striker was keen to spare a kind word for Avram Grant, the coach who took Chelsea within a coat of paint of winning the Champions League before taking the reins at Fratton Park. "He's good," said Drogba. "You only have to see what he's done with Portsmouth this season. The group were devastated, but he still managed to pick them and take them to the FA Cup final, which is a great achievement."