Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas believes John Terry‘s upcoming court case will not affect his performance on the field as the Blues get set to take on London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday night (Tottenham 13/8, draw 9/4, Chelsea 13/8 in the match betting).

The England skipper has been charged with “a racially aggravated public order offence” following an alleged incident with QPR defender Anton Ferdinand at Loftus Road earlier this season.

Terry is set for a court case in February after what is set to be another busy festive period for the west London outfit, who will need all their key players at their best if they are to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United for the Premier League title.

Despite the off-field problems, Villas-Boas believes the central defender will be able to cope, as they head into a crucial derby clash with Spurs at White Hart Lane.

The Portuguese tactician said: “John has told me he is in the right frame of mind to play and showed fantastic commitment to the team.”

Chelsea (16/1 Premier League outright) currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League table and leapfrog Spurs into third place if they can secure all three points at The Lane on Thursday night.