‘Terry will not be shaken by derby baiting’
Today sees Terry face the latest trial of his controversial career when he returns to Loftus Road for the first time since being acquitted of racially abusing Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.
Blues captain Terry, who is still contesting a Football Association charge over the same matter, is expected to be snubbed by Ferdinand — and possibly other QPR players — during the pre-match handshake.
On top of that, he is likely to be taunted mercilessly by Rangers supporters, something which happened on his last visit there in January.
Manager Di Matteo said: “As a human being there are certain aspects of life that will faze you.
“But, if you look at his career, he’s always got on with it. He’s a confident player.
“I played with some great players in my career. There were certain players who were very, very confident.”
He added: “To be able to survive for so many years at the top level in football, at club and international level, you need to be mentally strong.
“That goes for all the players who have had that kind of career, not just JT.”
Terry’s desperation to play today has been compared to that ahead of January’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Loftus Road, which saw him aggravate a knee injury, sidelining him for several weeks.
There is a sense of déjà vu about the Premier League clash, with Terry coming into the game having only just shaken off an ankle problem.
Di Matteo said: “To be honest, an injury can happen to anybody in the game.
“My assessment is on the fact that if the medical department tells me a player is fine, he’s available to be selected. You never know what happens in the game.
“I don’t think there are any concerns that he aggravates anything.”
It seems certain Terry will start but Di Matteo refused to confirm that, claiming he would consider every aspect of the clash — including the handshake — before finalising his team.
QPR manager Mark Hughes has strongly hinted he believes the pre-match handshake should be abandoned.
“The handshake is part of the Respect campaign and we all fully support that. It’s done fantastic work and is to be commended,” Hughes said.
“But maybe this part of showing respect is fundamentally flawed.
“Should there be a discussion in terms of how we show respect? Is this the best way to do that?
“It’s open to debate and that’s why I was asking about it at the Premier League meeting. Maybe after the match would be better.
“For our FA Cup match with Chelsea in January we didn’t do it and that helped the situation. I’ve never considered leaving Anton out because of the handshake.
“If I thought for one moment he was struggling to deal with it, I’d make that decision.”
A sizzling atmosphere is expected for a highly-charged derby that will see QPR attempt to seal their first Premier League victory of the season.
Former Manchester United, Everton, Chelsea, Barcelona and Blackburn striker Hughes admits he thrived amid the hostility of local rivalries.
“I loved derbies. I played in quite a few — the Liverpool one, Manchester one, Real Madrid v Barcelona, Blackburn v Burnley... which was probably the scariest one!” he said. “Some derbies are more high profile. The Blackburn derby I wasn’t really aware of until I went there. Then I realised I’d been missing out on something.
“Every one is different but the passion and energy generated are the same and that’s something special.
“As long as it doesn’t go over the edge of acceptability, I’m all for it.’’
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