Terry ready for Arsenal - Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti insists John Terry's crunch talks with Fabio Capello over the England captaincy won't distract him from leading Chelsea against Arsenal on Sunday.

Terry was due to face Capello on Friday for the first time since the publication of newspaper allegations that the Chelsea skipper had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, his former team-mate with the Blues and England.

Terry's reported relationship with Vanessa Perroncel, an underwear model who has a son with Bridge but is now estranged from the Manchester City left-back, has led to calls for the married father of two children to be stripped of the England armband.

Capello wants to hear Terry's side of the story before deciding if keeping him as skipper will prove damaging to England's World Cup challenge in South Africa later this year.

But Ancelotti doesn't believe the controversy will affect Terry because he is convinced the defender is able to put his off-field problems to one side whenever he trains or plays with Chelsea.

"I'm not interested (in Terry's England fate). It is a problem for Capello and John Terry. It is not my problem. I don't know what happens when John meets Fabio," Ancelotti said on Friday.

"John is focused on his job. He is doing very well every day. He is the captain of this team. With his behaviour he is doing his best for this team.

"Also he played very well in the last two games and scored a goal. His condition is fantastic at the moment.

"John has to play against Arsenal because he is one of the most important players in the team. We need strength and quality against Arsenal. He knows he has to play. He is our captain." While Capello debates Terry's England future, the centre-back has Ancelotti's complete backing.

Ancelotti hasn't held talks with Terry over the scandal and the Italian believes his captain also has the support of his Chelsea team-mates.

"It is not necessary for me to speak to him about his private life. It is his private life and I don't want to know anything about this. I am interested only in his professional behaviour and his behaviour has been the top," Ancelotti said.

"I think that John speaks with his team-mates all the time because he is the captain. I think he has the backing of his team-mates.

"It was a normal week. We have trained very well. We played against Burnley and Hull. Nothing is different about the last week.

The problem that involved John is outside the training ground." Ancelotti dropped a hint that Terry will be allowed to miss next Saturday's FA Cup fifth round tie against Cardiff to jet off to Dubai, where his wife Toni has escaped with her children since reports of the alleged affair first broke.

"We didn't plan anything because we have to play Arsenal and Everton before that. If he has to rest after that I will give rest to him," Ancelotti said.

Ancelotti admits he is baffled by the massive interest in Terry's private life because Italian footballers are rarely subjected to the same treatment.

"I'm surprised about this because I think the private life is important to remain the private life," he said.

"I don't have experience of this. I am not interested in this.

Sometimes in the past some coaches phoned at home to control the player. I never did this in my career. I'm interested in the players on the training ground and controlling them there."

Amid all the focus on Terry, it wasn't lost on Ancelotti that his side can deliver a hammer blow to Arsenal's title hopes with a win at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues can move nine points clear of Arsenal on Sunday and Ancelotti said: "I think for them it will be difficult to return to the top (if Chelsea win).

"There is the start of the Champion League as well so it could be difficult to get back close to Chelsea and Manchester United."