Terry, Cole ready to shake hands with Ferdinand

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed John Terry and Ashley Cole are expected to take part in the potentially explosive pre-match handshake with QPR's Anton Ferdinand at Loftus Road on Saturday.

Terry and Cole have recovered from the ankle injuries which ruled them out of England's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine on Tuesday and that means the duo are in line for a showdown with QPR defender Ferdinand.

In July, Chelsea captain Terry was cleared in court of racially abusing Ferdinand during a Premier League match at QPR last year, with Cole giving evidence as a character witness for his team-mate.

Terry, who was stripped of the England armband by the Football Association before his trial, is still facing a separate FA charge over the incident and that hearing is expected to begin on September 24.

Ferdinand, Terry and Cole are set to come face to face on Saturday for the first time since the trial and the Premier League have insisted the pre-match handshake, which was cancelled ahead of the clubs' last two meetings, will go ahead.

Reports in the build-up to the West London derby claim Ferdinand is planning to ignore Terry and Cole during the traditional greeting, while some of his QPR teammates may also refuse to shake hands with the Chelsea defenders.

With bad feeling still lingering, Chelsea and QPR officials have held talks in a bid to defuse the tension, but Di Matteo insists his players will all take part in the handshake as usual.

"We'll go ahead with it, yes," Di Matteo said on Friday.

AFP