John Terry vs. John O’Shea: They are two veteran centre backs cut from the same cloth who serve asd the defensive backbone of their respective sides.
We’ll get a chance to see Terry and O’Shea go head to head on Sunday when Chelsea hosts Sunderland on the final day of the 2014-15 Barclays Premier League season.
Terry, 34, is having a fabulous campaign after facing many questions last off-season as to whether he could still perform at the highest level. Turns out he could. The Englishman has quarterbacked a Chelsea defence that has conceded just 31 goals—tied for the league lead with Southampton—and was named to the PFA team of the year, alongside teammate Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic.
O’Shea, 25, began his career at Manchester United but has been an automatic starter for Sunderland ever since joining the Black Cats in 2011. The Irishman is known for his versatility as he can play anywhere across the back line, or as a defensive midfielder. Sunderland’s captain is also a tough old bird—he took a nasty boot to the face that left him cut and bloodied during a game against Stoke City last month but he played on.