John Terry and Ashley Cole returned to light outdoor training on Wednesday as the duo continued their bid to be fit for Chelsea's trip to QPR.
Terry and Cole have this week been in a race against time to shake off ankle knocks for the west London derby at Loftus Road on Saturday.
The defenders were both forced to withdraw from the England squad for last night's 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw against Ukraine but have made enough progress to be able to step up their rehabilitation.
It remains unclear whether either will be risked for a Barclays Premier League fixture that will be overshadowed by talk of the first public showdown between Terry and Anton Ferdinand since the Chelsea captain was cleared in court of racially abusing the QPR defender.
Terry still faces a Football Association charge over the incident, one he has denied, and it has been suggested his personal hearing over the matter could be held on September 24.
The FA declined to comment on the timing of the hearing when contacted by Press Association Sport today. Terry is reportedly as eager to play in Saturday's game as he was when Chelsea played at QPR in an FA Cup fourth-round tie in January.
That game saw him aggravate a knee injury which kept him out for six weeks and required minor surgery.
If Terry, Cole and Ferdinand all start on Saturday, the Premier League have no plans to abandon the pre-match handshake, despite the possibility of Ferdinand snubbing one or even both of the Chelsea players.
The handshakes prior to January's cup tie and April's league game were both cancelled due to the legal proceedings which ended in July.
Cole gave evidence in Terry's trial which helped exonerate his captain. Meanwhile, Chelsea today confirmed that the Cystic Fibrosis Trust had topped a poll giving the charity the right to hold a bucket collection at Stamford Bridge during the September 22 home game against Stoke.
More than 12,000 people took part in the Medical Charity Poll via the club's official website, www.chelseafc.com and Facebook page, with the CF Trust gaining 3,852 votes to make them the winners.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: "We have been delighted with the response from fans. More than 12,000 supporters voted over the course of a week in this poll, which just goes to show how important charitable causes are to Chelsea supporters.
"We are very proud of the initiative's outcome and there are still four more polls to come this season."
