Roberto Di Matteo will not give Chelsea captain John Terry a complete break

John Terry: Set to lead Chelsea out on Tuesday

Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo insists he has no plans to give John Terry a complete break during his four-match ban.

Terry missed the Blues' 4-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday as he began the suspension that was imposed by the Football Association for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand last October.

The 31-year-old has retained the Chelsea captaincy despite the FA's sanction and looks set to lead the team out in their UEFA Champions League clash in Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday night.

"It has been a delicate issue and we are going to continue working with the authorities to eradicate discrimination."
Roberto Di Matteo

Asked if he had considered omitting Terry altogether for the duration of the ban, Di Matteo said: "No. It has been a delicate issue and we are going to continue working with the authorities to eradicate discrimination.

"The board has made the final decision and we can focus just on our football while keeping in mind that we have responsibilities to keep working towards a more respectful world."

But one man who was given a recent break was Juan Mata who enjoyed two weeks off after his exertions with Spain at Euro 2012 and the Olympics.

Mata has responded with six goals in five games and Di Matteo is delighted with the response from his playmaker.

"It was of vital importance that we gave him a break, mentally and physically," said the Italian.

"It was a good decision from the way he is playing. This last international break, when he wasn't selected, has given him another little breather."

Axed

Mata was axed from the Spain squad for their internationals last week but when asked if national team coach Vicente Del Bosque had been watching he said: "I don't know. I just try to improve with every Chelsea game I play.

"I just wanted to do my best for my team and in this moment I am feeling really well.

"I had another chance for a goal but Fernando (Torres) was in a better position than me to score.

"But the most important thing for me was victory. Before the game we wanted to stay top of the league and we are still there."