Ferdinand-Terry row casts shadow over clash
A hearing by the FA later this month of charges against the England defender hangs over Chelsea-QPR clash despite raft of player changes
It is nearing a year since Chelsea's visit to Queens Park Rangers sparked controversy but this west London derby continues to be overshadowed by allegations relating to John Terry and Anton Ferdinand.
Since that meeting on October 23, both clubs have changed managers and overhauled their teams - Rangers especially so - while Terry's appearance at Westminster magistrates court ended with the Chelsea defender being found not guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand.
The issue is not closed, however, with Terry still facing FA charges relating to the incident which will be heard later this month.
Chelsea have called on their fans to show "respect". "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," the club said.
Tensions, then, still exist and, with Ferdinand apparently indicating he will refuse to shake the hand of Terry, the two clubs were in talks ahead of today's game that are set to see the cancellation of the usual pre-match handshake.
That only intensifies the feeling surrounding the meeting of the local rivals and this time Chelsea must show far greater discipline than they did on their previous league visit last October.