Chelsea captain and England defender John Terry has declared himself fit to play against Queen's Park Rangers on Saturday and potentially meet Anton Ferdinand for the first time since he was acquitted of racially abusing the QPR player in July.
Terry picked up an ankle injury during England's 5-0 mauling of Moldova last weekend, but is reportedly determined to play, for fear of being seen to be avoiding a potential confrontation with Ferdinand.
In July, Terry was acquitted of racially abusing Ferdinand in a 2011 game between the two clubs but could still face punishment from the FA over the incident, with that hearing expected to begin on 24 September.
Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand during a game last October
While Ferdinand will likely choose not to shake the hands of Terry and Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole, who testified in support of Terry during the trial last July, QPR players are said to be holding a meeting to decide whether the entire team will abstain from any handshaking ritual before the match.
The FA allowed the teams to forego a handshake in a Carling Cup tie prior to the trial but fully expects the two teams to commit to the show of sportsmanship this weekend.
However, the handshake could be abandoned if either or both teams choose to ask the Premier League to abandon the handshake.
The two players have not faced eachother since the trial
However, both clubs issued a plea for calm from their supporters during the game, saying: "Both Chelsea and QPR will work together with the police to ensure that anyone using discriminatory or inflammatory language on Saturday is identified, and that the strongest possible action is taken against them."
Ferdinand was also a doubt for the match with a shoulder injury but will be fit to play.