Barclays English Premier League
Terry issues battle cry
Afp, London
Fit-again Chelsea skipper John Terry has echoed Jose Mouri-nho's warning that the champions cannot afford the slightest slip-up as they enter the final stretch of their tussle with Manchester United for the Premiership title.Chelsea's morale will receive a huge boost when the inspirational England captain returns to action against Charlton on Saturday, finally ending a six-week lay-off for back surgery and related calf problems.Mourinho's men have looked defensively fragile in his absence and dropped points have allowed United to open up a six-point lead at the top. "We've got to make up six points on Manchester United in 13 games -- seven really to go ahead," Terry said on the eve of his comeback. "What that means is that we've just got to go on winning games because we can't really afford to lose points. "If we do go on winning games, they can't afford to lose points. The race is on." Despite being beset by behind-the-scenes wrangling between Mourinho and club owner Roman Abramovich and a string of serious injuries, Chelsea remain in the hunt for four trophies and Terry believes a clean sweep is a genuine possibility. "We're in the final of the League Cup," he said. "We entered the competition to win it and that's still what we intend to do. "There's a real feel for the League Cup at this club, success in it sets up your season as it did two years ago for the winning of our first Premiership. "So we want to win it and then we want to win more. We're in the fifth round of the FA Cup and we've been drawn at home against lower-league opposition. "If we are not lazy or arrogant or stupid, or extremely unlucky, we ought to go into the quarter-finals. The FA Cup is the only English competition that we haven't won in Roman and Jose's time and we owe it to both of them as well as ourselves. "The Champions League returns this month and although Porto maybe a better team than when we played them two years ago, we are the group winners and they are the runners-up and we have enough quality and commitment in our squad to win the round. "So this is the way it is. We believe that we can continue to compete in all four competitions." Mourinho echoed the bullish tone of his skipper, insisting he was not concerned that Liverpool's strong run would carry them past the champions and into second place in the league. "I look to Manchester United, I don't look to Liverpool," Mourinho insisted. "Liverpool have a good team and they are winning matches but I don't look back, I look up. "We are currently on a run in which we have lost just once in 18 matches. We had a little spell with a lot of injuries in which we drew a number of games. "Apart from that we have been doing fine and even with that, we have not been losing. So we have to feel good about the rest of the season. "We will be trying to win in every competition. We must play a lot of football -- maybe more than anyone else."
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