In 2015/16, Chelsea entered the season as reigning champions but lost such key players as Petr Cech and Didier Drogba who joined Arsenal and Montreal respectively. Still, hopes for trophies were big.
After the first half of the season, the Londoners were sitting 14th in the Premier League table, only three points above the relegation zone. Besides, they got eliminated from the League Cup. Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2015, with Guus Hiddink taking over as the interim manager.
Under these circumstances, the Champions League was the only tournament where Chelsea could still get something. The group stage ended well: the Blues qualified for the knockout stages as group leaders, two points above second-placed Dynamo Kyiv (Porto and Maccabi Tel Aviv ended the campaign in the 3rd and 4th places respectively).
In the UCL last 16, the Londoners were drawn against PSG. Right before the first leg, John Terry picked up a hamstring injury and didn't travel with the squad to Paris.
The injury was yet another disappointment in a season to forget for Terry. On 23 August 2015 against West Brom, he was shown his first league red card in more than five years. In January against Everton, the skipper scored an own goal.
📸 John Terry walks away after being sent off for a challenge on Salomon Rondon against West Brom:
On 1 February 2016, Terry announced that he would leave Chelsea in the summer of 2016. He said: "It's not going to be a fairy-tale ending." However, later he signed a one-year deal that kept him at Chelsea until the end of 2016/17.
The first leg at Parc des Princes ended with the hosts' 2-1 win. Due to the injury, Terry couldn't help his side in the return leg as well but when the Parisians arrived in London, they didn't know the hosts' captain had already confirmed his absence.
That's why Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who was speaking to the media at the pre-match presser, opened up on Chelsea's strength with and without Terry.
"Terry? I would like him to play, because I missed him in the last game," said the Swede at the pre-match presser in London. "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."
Unfortunately for the Blues, the game ended just like in Paris. Adrien Rabiot opened the scoring for the Parisians but Diego Costa restored Chelsea fans' hopes with an equaliser within ten minutes.
However, it was Ibrahimovic who put an end to Chelsea's Champions League campaign with a tap-in in the 67th minute.
John Terry, meanwhile, cut a frustrated figure watching the game from the stands.
