Gary Cahill has insisted that Chelsea team-mate John Terry is unfazed by the prospect of facing Rio Ferdinand in this weekend’s trip to QPR.
The pair had a high-profile falling out after Terry was accused and subsequently cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother Anton during a clash at Loftus Road in 2011 – though an independent FA tribunal did find him guilty and he was slapped with a four-game ban.
Rio later labelled the Blues skipper as “the biggest idiot” for the way in which he handled the row, and the pair have not met on a football field since.
However, with Rangers battling for their Premier League lives and Chelsea scrapping for the title, Cahill says that the pair will have more important things to think about.
“John has been through lots in his career – so many good times, winning trophies and so on, and bad times like any player at the highest level,” he told The Express.
“He is obviously thick-skinned and that’s why I say it won’t affect him and it won’t affect us.
“The main focus for them [QPR] is that they are fighting for their lives to stay in the League, which would be dangerous for us because any team fighting for their lives is willing to do whatever it takes to win, and we are away.”