PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V ATLETICO MADRID

TALKING POINTS
Top slot in the Barclays Premier League may have been surrendered at the weekend. But the Blues are outright leaders in Group D of the Champions League going into back-to-back matches against the club currently lying 15th in Spain's Primera División.

Atlético have started the season poorly. They travel to London having failed to win in four domestic away trips, and with only one point on the Champions League board from a home draw with APOEL. They were booed off after that, too.

Their showing at Porto on Matchday 2 was poor enough, but their performance last weekend at Osasuna suggested deep-seated problems.

They lost 0-3 at Osasuna, increasing the pressure on Abel Resino eight months into his latest spell with Los Colchoneros (the Mattress-Makers).  

KEY STAT The Blues have suffered just one defeat in our last 17 Champions League matches.

With Chelsea's home record in Europe the Spanish face a difficult task to force their Champions League campaign back on track.

Their countrymen have a poor record in SW6 too. Only one of the 11 Spanish teams to have played at Stamford Bridge has left victorious: the Barcelona of 2006 that capitalised on Asier Del Horno's early dismissal for a foul on Lionel Messi (pictured below). Chelsea have remained unbeaten over 19 matches at the Bridge in this competition since that evening.

Never the less, when the Catalans struck that late equaliser in the semi-final here last season, it was as fatal as the matador's coup de grace.

In terms of results this is Chelsea's best start to the group stage since 2006/07, which began with three victories. Carlo Ancelotti will hope that overcoming an Iberian team we have never met competitively will set his team well on course for the final in their home town, Madrid, next May.

Victories tonight for Chelsea and Porto (at home to APOEL) would leave the Blues needing two points from the remaining three matches to qualify for the Round of 16 in the new year.

Our other opponents in Group D are in better form than the Rojiblancos, Atlético's other nickname.

APOEL returned to winning ways following our important 1-0 win in Cyprus three weeks ago, beating strugglers Ermis Aradippou 2-1 away, despite having a host of injuries. They are sixth in the Marfin Laiki Championship.

Elsewhere, Porto have now won their last three matches without conceding, the most recent being a 3-0 victory at Olhanense before the international break. They currently lie third in the Portuguese Liga, five adrift of leaders Braga.

Other Group D fixture
Wed 7.45pm Porto v APOEL

This season's Champions League features 18 domestic league champions, six runners-up, five third-placed finishers and three fourth-placed teams including Atlético.

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ANCELOTTI: TAKING A SPANISH STEP

Carlo Ancelotti will play his strongest team against Atletico Madrid, knowing a win will put the team back on track after the Villa Park pain and well on the way to Champions League progress.
Healthily-placed in Group D after two wins, a third victory on Wednesday night won't guarantee a place in the knockout stages but it will put the Blues very close with a visit to the Spanish capital to come in a fortnight.
Ancelotti will not have Jose Bosingwa available for selection this midweek. The right-back was in line for a return having served a two-match European suspension but now a new obstacle is in his way.
'Bosingwa had a problem with his knee in the game against Aston Villa,' reports Ancelotti. 'He will not play tomorrow but I think it is not a big problem and I hope we can use him on Saturday.'
Branislav Ivanovic replaced the Portuguese defender in the second half of the Villa defeat and was right-back in the Champions League wins over Porto and APOEL.
Michael Ballack, missing at the weekend, returns to the squad but John Mikel Obi remains out with an ankle injury.
With Alex completing 45 minutes in the Reserves' win on Monday, the manager will have a player new to him available soon.
'Alex after his injury played very well. He now has to train and he will be ready on Saturday,' Ancelotti reports.
Chelsea's set-piece defending has been the talk surrounding the club ever since Villa headed in two corners. Training has worked on it but Ancelotti believes that can only go so far. Similar to taking penalties under high pressure, there are elements of match play that are hard to replicate at Cobham.
'But we need to improve,' he adds, 'because you can do a good match but if you don't pay attention over six seconds, you can do a bad result.'
He also defends Petr Cech's performances this season.
'Petr is in good condition. He has a fantastic approach because he takes a lot of risks because he likes to go out and catch the ball. Sometimes he can do a mistake but I want him to go out to catch the ball in the air.'
A win tomorrow will open an eight-point gap between Chelsea and Atletico Madrid who were expected to push us hard for qualification pre-tournament. That is not yet impossible warns the boss.
'At this moment for them it is not easy because also Porto is in a good position, but over four games they can still arrive at the top.
'They didn't start well the season but they have good quality, above all in the forwards. They have [Diego] Forlan and [Sergio] Aguero who are dangerous strikers. We have to pay attention to this because Aguero has fantastic quality and can change a match with it.
'It is a good team but at this moment they didn't find a good disposition tactically on the pitch.
'We must not only beat them to return to winning but also to control the next three games in the group.'