Football News : Villas-Boas: Terry 'always up for selection'

By ESPN staff

Andre Villas-Boas has given his under-fire captain John Terry a huge vote of confidence by declaring him "one of the best defenders in the world" and stated he will return to the starting XI for Chelsea's trip to Blackburn on Saturday.

PA PhotosThe incident involving Anton Ferdinand and John Terry is being investigated

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Terry is embroiled in an alleged race row involving Anton Ferdinand, with the FA and Metropolitan Police currently conducting a formal investigation into claims the England captain racially abused his fellow defender during Chelsea's clash with Queens Park Rangers last month.

Chelsea's leader sat out their Champions League draw away to Genk on Tuesday, but Villas-Boas says he fully expects to call on the 30-year-old when they travel to Ewood Park at the weekend.

When asked whether he will return to the side, Villas-Boas said: "Yes I think so. I believe he is in the right frame of mind to play, yes. We always believe it to be like that. He does not look distracted to us.

"I think John has been involved on all Premier League games. He's our captain, one of the best defenders in the world, and his talent is unquestionable. So, with the talent he is, he's always up for selection."

Despite only winning on e of their last four games in all competitions, Chelsea are not in crisis, according to Villas-Boas.

"Our responsibilities are to win every game," he said. "When things don't go our way, we can't be happy with what's passing. This week that has passed, and the results we have been getting, doesn't collide with our confidence.

"There's a good spirit in the group. There's a negative momentum we are passing through. If we can do it sooner it will be better for us. We created enough opportunities to win the game in Genk but didn't get the positive result.

"We want wins as soon as possible. We went past a bad period and bad momentum last year, and we want to avoid that again. But the memory of that is bad enough to want us not to repeat it. We're not questioning our quality or our talent."