Chelsea defeat is unthinkable

MSK Zilina v Chelsea : On TV: BBC 2, kick-off 7.15: After all the spending and speculation, tonight the serious business begins for Chelsea.

In the unglamorous surrounds of northern Slovakia, an expensively assembled squad face their first competitive test. Manager Claudio Ranieri said yesterday that he feels he is in charge of a new club and the Italian will hope ahead of this Champions League qualifier that his side's old habits in Europe have died.

Ranieri has seen Chelsea knocked out of the UEFA Cup by lowly opponents in the past three seasons, but slipping up against MSK Zilina is unthinkable. Not so much because of the financial implications of failing to reach the group stage of the Champions League, which seemed so vital before Roman Abramovich, but because reputations and futures are more at stake than ever now the Russian has found £75 million of loose change for signings.

Zilina's tiny ground and the long coach journey which Chelsea took from Bratislava have given this trip a similar feel to those on which Ranieri's team have been embarrassed in the past. Yet the coach looks at Juan Sebastian Veron, Joe Cole, Damien Duff and other costly additions and senses he has moved on.

"I feel I am with a new club," he said. "And also for some players I am a new coach. This is a new Chelsea."

Ranieri says it will take time to assimilate the recent arrivals but the players know they must shed their reputation as European under-achievers immediately.

The striker Adrian Mutu is ineligible but Chelsea's other signings are available. Ranieri hinted that Cole and Veron are unlikely to share centre ground this season, though they can feature in the same midfield. He expects Zilina to pull everybody behind the ball and play on the break.

But this is all about Chelsea.

CHELSEA (4-4-2, possible): Cudicini; Melchiot, Terry, Desailly, Bridge; Geremi, Lampard, Veron, Duff; Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink.

Guardian Service