Paris Saint Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted his regret at not being able to test himself against injured Chelsea captain John Terry in the Champions League on Wednesday night,
PSG boast a 2-1 advantage from the last-16 first leg in the French capital three weeks ago and also face the comfort of knowing that Terry won’t be playing due to a hamstring problem.
Ibrahimovic, who was unaware that Terry had already confirmed his absence, suggested at a pre-match news conference on Tuesday evening that Chelsea would be the weaker for it.
He said: “I would like him to play, because I missed him in the last game. I know we want to play against the best teams and the best players. If he's on the pitch, then it's the best Chelsea team.
“Without him they're still a fantastic team, but I'd like him to play because you want to succeed against the best.
“The last game was not easy without him. If he plays, or if he doesn't, it'll be the same challenge for us to play against them. If he plays, of course, they're probably a better team.
“I think we are ready. We've prepared well for this game, waiting a couple of weeks. Tomorrow is the game.
“The full team came to London today and we are here. Let's play the game. It won't be an easy game, but we are ready.”
There has been a lot of speculation that this will be Ibrahimovic's last crack at the Champions League. His current PSG deal runs out at the end of the season and he won’t be offered a new one.
The former Inter Milan and Barcelona star has been linked to England, with Manchester United one of the possible destinations.
Ibrahimovic is certainly not thinking about retirement yet and said: “It's not the end. I'm only warming up. I don't believe it's (close to) the end of my career.
“Age is something you can't fear... it's just a number, and the difference is how you feel. I feel young. I've never had better statistics than those from this season (30 goals in 37 appearances). This is the best I've had in that sense.
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“When I was young and talking about the Champions League, yes, it was almost an obsession. But then I started to mature and get to know myself, which is difficult to understand, but I realised if I win it, it doesn't make me a better player, or if I don't, it won't make me a worse player.
“I am what I am. If I win it I'll be very happy. I've been lucky enough to win a lot of trophies, at a lot of fantastic clubs and with a lot of fantastic players. Without them you don't win trophies.
“I have a chance this season to do it, but it will not change the player I am. That is the difference.”
Pressed on whether he’d started thinking about where he will be playing next term, he concluded: “I have another two months with PSG, and then the Euros with my national team.
“What happens after that? I'm not in discussions with anybody. It's not the moment to talk about that. The future looks good after this season. People say I'm old. Like I say, I'm only warming up. The future looks good.”
