Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has no concerns over the state of mind of his captain John Terry ahead of Saturday’s game against Arsenal.

Villas-Boas is adamant that the alleged racist abuse against Anton Ferdinand is “a misunderstanding” and hopes that the FA investigation will clear the defender.

The Portuguese coach also defends the disciplinary record of his team and says he believes the statistics that say Chelsea and Arsenal have poor disciplinary records do not paint an accurate picture.

Chelsea will be without Didier Drogba, who is suspended following his dismissal against QPR for today’s game with Arsenal.

For Chelsea this game comes a month later than they may have liked.

The Arsenal side they will face at Stamford Bridge is much improved from the ragged, confidence-shorn outfit that had plunged the Gunners into crisis by mid-September.

Beaten by Liverpool, humiliated by Manchester United, and then outmanoeuvred by Blackburn, Arsene Wenger’s team found themselves charting unfamiliar territory in the bottom half of the Premier League.

But since that defeat at Ewood Park they have made steady progress towards respectability. Robin van Persie’s goals – six in his last four league games – have been no small part of that improvement.

However, they are on a poor run away from home and, as restorative as victories against Bolton, Sunderland and Stoke have been, beating Chelsea on their own patch is a completely different prospect.

Andre Villas Boas’s side have gone about their business quietly but effectively so far this season. Defeat against QPR was an unexpected setback, but even with nine men they could still have salvaged a point.

Chelsea still start as favourites but they will have to curb the indiscipline that saw them pick up two red cards and another seven bookings at Loftus Road.

Manchester United travel to Everton, City play Wolves, Norwich face Blackburn, Sunderland take on Villa, Swansea play Bolton, West Brom host Liverpool and Fulham travel to Wigan.