Minnows relish the chance to bare teeth

Dominic Fifieldhears how Macclesfield plan to win the key battles against Chelsea today

Tommy Lee (goalkeeper): "I'm looking forward most to playing against Andriy Shevchenko. People have said he's not been at his best, that he's struggling to come to terms with life over here, but he's still world class and can score a goal from anywhere. I'm only about 6ft tall, well, 6ft 1in on a good day. The thought of Shevchenko charging at me . . .

"They're all class so there's no point worrying too much about what might happen. I'll actually be less nervous than turning out in the league on a Saturday - we're in a relegation battle and every point is important. Chelsea will actually provide a bit of respite.

"I'd expect to be busy. We'll be under pressure from the start, but we'll have a game plan. Get at them, keep tight, make them frustrated. The gaffer's given us self-belief and instilled confidence in us, and we're also a lot fitter collectively, so Chelsea shouldn't have the edge in that respect. The dream scenario is a 1-0 win for us, and maybe a penalty save from me."

Alan Navarro (midfielder):

"I don't think that you can go out there and say this is what I'm going to do to stop Frank Lampard or Michael Ballack play. These blokes are quality, and, if you try and stop them one way, they'll probably hurt you some other way.

"All I can do, in my position, is try and make life as difficult for them as possible: get tight, make my presence felt, don't make it easy for them. I'm not going to sit back and let them play their football. I want to let Lampard know that he's in a game, so I'm going out there to make my mark.

Matt McNeil (striker): "There are things I can do. I'm a physical player. They're better footballers than me, but I can go out there, work hard, win my headers, be strong, get hold of it and I know for a fact I can do that no matter who I'm playing.

"I know I'm not going to be able to bring the ball down and do Ashley Cole on the outside for pace. But there are other things I can do to make it awkward for them. Ricardo Carvalho is a laid-back footballing centre half so I know I can get into him, battle him and that'll give me a good chance of unsettling him.

"It would have been quite a good battle against Terry. I'd actually have liked him to play - to have the chance to get stuck into him and then, afterwards, sit there and tell people I went toe to toe with the England captain would have been incredible.

"I've gone through all kinds of jobs when I was semi-pro, from working in warehouses, labouring on building sites, and even as a croupier in a casino in Salford . . . And yet, at 29, here I am up against Chelsea, the players I watch every week on Match of the Day.

"We know this is probably an impossible task, but we're going to try our best."

Paul Ince (manager):

"I didn't expect to be walking out this early in my managerial career to confront Jose Mourinho, but I suppose this is the next big challenge for me. It's been such a hard two months in terms of getting things together, getting the belief on the pitch and the organisation off it, but we're relishing this test. We will stamp our mark on the game.

"We won't go 'Look at Chelsea, look at Frank Lampard' - we'll go there believing in ourselves. We are pitting our wits against world-class players, but we know they have only got one central defender, and that will give us a chance at set-pieces, and we know about their goalkeeper, too.

"If we were a Premiership club or a decent Championship side, we might think we have a chance what with the problems they've been having lately, but that doesn't really apply to us. We've got to out there and play as we always do - why should we change?

"Have I met Jose? No, but he's met me a couple of times. Seriously, we met last year at Frank Lampard's Cancer Trust event in London and we had a few words.

"He's brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He was a breath of fresh air when he came into the league, and he still is. He's so passionate about his football, as I am.

"But, as far as this game goes, I want my boys to enjoy it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime occasion for them, the game of their lives."