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Carlo Ancelotti has been talking in depth about this weekend's opponents and his previous encounters with their manager, Alex Ferguson.

Chelsea players welcomed members of the armed forces to Cobham to mark the start of the club's support for the 2009 Poppy Appeal.

Chelsea will not automatically sign new players in the January window according to the manager now there is a stay on Fifa's ban .

Chelsea's Under 18s side secured another home win at a chilly Cobham today as they saw off visitors Portsmouth.

Chelsea's red hot striker has had a busy seven days. He also has news of an important charity event.

On Sunday, Carlo Ancelotti faces what is likely to be the sternest test of his Chelsea team so far. He believes the challenge couldn't come on a better weekend.

As an experienced player on football's top stages, Deco believes this weekend's visit of Manchester United is as big as they come.

In light of numerous media enquiries, Chelsea can confirm that the Court of Arbitration for Sport has informed us that it has agreed to a stay of the two window transfer ban and the playing ban.

Chelsea and Sunday's visitors have identical records from our league meetings in the Premier League era.

There has been a change to the following fixtures' kick off times as they will now be broadcast live on television.

Chelsea is aware that a number of fans are disappointed with the time taken to access their seats through the turnstiles as kick-off time approaches.

There have been further announcements made regarding our Barclays Premier League game against Arsenal on Sunday 29 November.

Anyone heading to Stamford Bridge for Sunday's Barclays Premier League clash with Manchester United may appreciate the following information.

In his first major interview since beginning life as chief executive, Ron Gourlay has discussed his past and his ways of working.

In his exclusive interview with Chelsea TV, new chief executive Ron Gourlay has been explaining how he aims to appoint a supporter liaison manager. Gourlay, who has sat on the Fans' Forums in recent years, outlined an increase in discussion with supporters as one of his primary objectives, referencing ticket pricing as an area where we have succeeded in recent times. 'We've frozen the prices for four years now and that has been very well received by the fans,' he said. 'I have been very close to the Fans' Forum in the last three or four years and it has been a great platform to understand with more insight into what the fans want from their football club. What I wanted to do was get closer and one of the changes is that I will introduce a new role into the business which will be supporter liaison manager. 'That will be a key role working with the fans, getting to understand more the needs of the fans. We do lots of requests already, we give free away travel to games, cut ticket prices, we can't do all of the things requested but it will be good to see which ones the fans want more and which ones are more important. 'Working more closely domestically with the fans and nationally with our supporters groups and our international membership, we have a lot of people out there who will never come to see us play at Stamford Bridge, so how do we connect with some of these fans and make them feel part of their football club.' And what ideas does he have regarding these developments? 'More focus groups, a greater interaction with the fans on an international and domestic basis, understanding more of the needs of the fans from their football club and understanding more where they would like to see their membership go.'

Ron Gourlay has confirmed the club is in talks over a new contract with Joe Cole as our number 10 heads towards his 28th birthday.

New Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has revealed that the club would consider naming rights for Stamford Bridge.

Being a player of the digital age, Frank Lampard is able to watch a new DVD chronicling his full Chelsea career.

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to follow in John Terry's footsteps and lift the Barclays Premier League Trophy?

Florent Malouda believes the form of Didier Drogba can be the difference between ourselves and Manchester United on Sunday.

Ticket sale dates for our fifth round Carling Cup game against Blackburn Rovers have been announced.

In his first interview as chief executive of Chelsea Football Club and Ron Gourlay predicts a bright future for the Blues.

There's a piece of good news for the Ladies this week following the League Cup semi-final draw.

This week's official club podcast Inside Chelsea looks back over a successful week for the Blues.

Giles Smith was there last night in the Vicente Calderon stadium, which is more than can be said for some people. He reports in this week's column.

This December, there will be a very special Christmas Star on a Stool, as John Terry and Frank Lampard face fans' questions.

The Chelsea players begIn to make sense of the dramatic conclusion to Tuesday night's Champions League action in the Spanish capital.

Chelsea Ladies will face Arsenal at home this Sunday in the first 'big three' clash of the season.

It may have been a dramatic ending but Chelsea progressed to the next stage of the Champions League tonight, and there was one man who stood out for Carlo Ancelotti.

The first draw of the season is enough for Chelsea to make the next stage of the Champions League, Didier Drogba scoring twice on the night.

The first draw of the season is enough for Chelsea to make the next stage of the Champions League, Didier Drogba scoring twice on the night.

87' CHELSEA GOAL: Drogba scores an astounding goal, he breaks down the centre, past the centre halves and beats the keeper, driving the ball into the centre of the net.

Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou are the two players selected to support lone striker Didier Drogba.

Our Carling Cup quarter-final away at Blackburn Rovers will take place on Wednesday, December 2, with an 8pm kick-off.

Juliano Belletti, who played five seasons in the Spanish Primera Liga before moving to Chelsea, believes the Blues could play in 'the best atmosphere in Spain' tonight.

Before Pat Nevin's column next week comes 180 minutes of Chelsea action that he believes could put the team in a very healthy position indeed.

Calling all young Blues - we need you to help design our official 2009 Chrismas card!

Chelsea Football Club today launches our support for the Tickets for Troops initiative, promising 50 tickets per home game to our Armed Forces.

The last fortnight has seen Chelsea in some of the best form in our history, contrasting strongly with our hosts on the banks of the Manzanares river.

Quique Sanchez Flores, the new Atletico coach, is hoping the atmosphere in the stadium tonight (Tuesday) could overcome a team he admires.

Carlo Ancelotti will unleash Didier Drogba on the Champions League for the first time this season as tomorrow in Madrid, he looks to secure passage to the knockout stage.

He's here, he's there, he's in Madrid and Joe Cole is looking forward to playing in a confident side tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

Despite a spirited performance, Chelsea's reserves fell to an injury-time winner against an experienced Stoke side at Nantwich Town FC on Monday.

The squad has landed in Madrid with Ashley Cole and Hilario returning to the travelling party.

Penalty king Frank Lampard insists we must not relax after another superb victory at the weekend.

Chelsea TV hosts live coverage of the reserves in action away to Stoke City tonight, and manager Steve Holland is expecting a tough examination.

Chelsea Football Club is stepping up the fight against knife and gun crime this week.

Carlo Ancelotti was understandably contented following a second 4-0 win over Bolton inside four days.

Chelsea's Under 18s side netted a late goal to seal a 2-2 draw away to Ipswich Town this weekend.

Chelsea eased to a 4-0 win with a superb display against 10-man Bolton on Saturday afternoon.

Chelsea eased to a 4-0 win with a superb display against 10-man Bolton on Saturday afternoon.

60 CHELSEA GOAL Stunning counter attack by Chelsea as a Bolton corner is turned into a Deco goal via Carvalho and Anelka.

The main electricity supply to Stamford Bridge will be switched off for essential maintenance on Sunday 1 November 2009.

Branislav Ivanovic has been passed fit and will play right-back. Deco is preferred to Joe Cole at the front of the midfield diamond.

Chelsea have drawn Blackburn Rovers in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup, the game will be played in the week beginning 30 November.

Carlo Ancelotti is glad to have Nicolas Anelka on his side as the Frenchman returns to his former club this afternoon.

As a man on top of his game, Michael Ballack is relishing the challenge of Bolton this afternoon.

Carlo Ancelotti is expecting a very different Bolton Wanderers challenge to the one faced on Wednesday, but will be disappointed if it is a different Chelsea as well.

If selected this afternoon, Florent Malouda will make his 100th Chelsea appearance, yet his focus remains on repairing the club's run of poor away form.

John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba are all in the shortlist for Fifa World Player 2009.

There is a new addition to the 'squad' of bloggers on the official Chelsea website with the start of a blog written by regular contributors to the Chat Page.

Chelsea traditionally do pretty well in the second of back-to-back fixtures against the same club.

On Thursday evening, the man who spearheaded Chelsea on some of our most memorable European nights was back at Stamford Bridge.

Anyone heading to Bolton for the weekend's Barclays Premier League clash may appreciate the following information.

The Chelsea goalkeeper has been reflecting on a rare night off and bouncing back from disappointments...

Last night Chelsea emphatically broke down the opposition in front of home fans again, with a complete team effort bringing goals from up front and midfield.

The government Foreign and Commonwealth Office is providing online information for supporters planning on travelling to the Champions League match in Madrid.

Chelsea Ladies are top of the League thanks to last night's (Wednesday's) 4-0 thumping of Millwall.

With nine goals from two games there's plenty to look forward to in this week's official club podcast Inside Chelsea.

John Terry used his matchday programme notes to pay tribute to Alex Nairn, a masseur for the Chelsea team for seven seasons, who died last week. The captain wrote: Lampsy and me are dedicating this page tonight to the memory of Alex Nairn. After the game on Saturday night I received the bad news that he'd died. He'd worked at the club a long time (1998-2005) and Coley, big Pete, Paulo, Riccy and Didier were all here when he retired. What a great old boy he was. All the lads loved him. There was him, Terry Byrne and John Kelly doing massage, and later Bill McCulloch came in. At his age, for Alex (pictured below) still to be working in the way he was into his 70s was incredible. Anyone who knew 'Grappler' and heard his stories will laugh just thinking about him. Sorry, can't retell them here! Our thoughts are with his wife Beryl and his family. We're all really saddened. Back at the start he often used to turn up late, and he'd swear and moan about his car all the time, blame it for breaking down, swear about having to get the bus. So Dennis Wise spoke to the players and they had a whip round, and they got him a little car. They took him out at Harlington and showed it to him and his eyes welled up, and it was one of those great moments in a club. It was a great touch from Wisey, Hitchy, Franco and everybody, and Grappler was never late again. I phoned him a few weeks ago when I heard he was ill, and I said to Beryl that it was John Terry from Chelsea, could I speak to Grappler, and she said that he wasn't remembering much, but she'd put him on. I heard her say, 'Alex, it's John Terry from Chelsea,' and he came on. I said, 'Grappler, JT here, how are you?' and we had a great chat for a few minutes about everything. Then I heard him pull the phone away and say, 'Beryl, who is this?!'. So she went and got some photos and then he remembered it all and was asking after the lads and everything. Brilliant! Rest in peace Grappler. We love you! Carlo Ancelotti and John Terry put their thoughts down on paper for each home game and e-members can read their matchday programme notes online before the kick-off. >> click here to read programme notes

Chelsea Academy players have played a part in England Under 17s securing a place in the Elite Round of the European U17 Championships.

After 13 goals without reply in three games, Carlo Ancelotti couldn't be anything but pleased, although he is anticipating stronger Bolton resistance on Saturday.

The team may have been much changed, but the result remains the same. A tenth successive victory at Stamford Bridge has put Chelsea into the quarter-finals.

The team may have been much changed, but the result remains the same. A tenth successive victory at Stamford Bridge has put Chelsea into the quarter-finals.

15' CHELSEA GOAL: Kalou heads home a Ferreira cross, nodding down at the far post while Al Habsi can only watch.

The team is the one named by Carlo Ancelotti well ahead of kick-off. That means a full debut for Daniel Sturridge.

Alex makes his first team return tonight, and is determined to show Carlo Ancelotti what he has been missing.

Carlo Ancelotti has not only named his side early for tonight's Carling Cup meeting with Bolton, but the full substitutes' bench is known as well.

In the wake of Big Sam's public health warning, columnist Giles Smith has sensible guidelines to take on board before a large crowd gathers in close proximity at the Bridge tonight.

It may be the third home game in eight days but this Carling Cup match is a sell-out.

Carlo Ancelotti will give a full debut to Daniel Sturridge as he makes changes to the side to face Bolton in the Carling Cup.

Wednesday sees Chelsea resume their Carling Cup campaign when Gary Megson's Bolton Wanderers travel to the capital.

Chelsea performance director Mike Forde helped turn Wednesday's opponents Bolton into an established Premier League club. Here he explains how…

Plenty has been written about Joe Cole's return but not many have suffered similar injury and had the similar experience of being denied their favourite position.

Due to a system upgrade, the box office, call centre and online sales will all be closed from 3pm this Thursday (29 October).

Didier Drogba, during his live phone-in appearance on Chelsea TV on Monday evening, vowed to reach the 200-goal mark for Chelsea Football Club.

You could watch Chelsea's young stars represent their nation at Wembley on Saturday 14 November.

Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba are in contention in the voting for the PFA Fans' Player of the Month for October.

There are still a few places left for the hugely successful Question of Chelsea quiz night where fans can test their knowledge and raise money for a worthy cause.

Joe Cole, prior to the Blackburn game, revealed he is anticipating good days and bad days on his return from injury. It is safe to say Saturday was a good day.

Josh McEachran was a starter for England Under 17s as they won 6-2 against Kazakhstan in Azerbaijan on Monday morning.

To coincide with Drogba Day on Chelsea TV, the official Chelsea website has the full breakdown of the player's scoring for the club.

On Monday the official Chelsea website catches up with the expert summariser from the club's radio partner, BBC London 94.9, for analysis of the weekend's game.

Chelsea and betting operator 188BET.com are making available a second concourse payout point for customers who would like to collect betting winnings after a game.

A Chelsea legend returns to Stamford Bridge this Thursday, as Tore Andre Flo answers fans' questions at the latest of our Star on a Stool events.

Paul Canoville was inducted into Show Racism the Red Card's Hall of Fame at half-time during the Blackburn game on Saturday.

Frank Lampard, full of smiles after his two-goal part in the 5-0 win over Blackburn, apologised afterwards for not helping returning hero Joe Cole on to the scoresheet.

Today saw the definition of an emphatic win played out at Stamford Bridge and Carlo Ancelotti insists it was a pleasure to watch his side play.

Chelsea returned to full working of order as two goals for Lampard and one each for Essien and Drogba added an own-goal start.

Chelsea returned to full working of order as two goals for Lampard and one each for Essien and Drogba added an own-goal start.

64' CHELSEA GOAL: Drogba heads home a Ballack corner to the far post, it's five for Chelsea, phenomenal.

Joe Cole begins his first league game since 11 January but there is no Ashley Cole.

Joe Cole is in contention for a place in the starting line-up today (Saturday) against Blackburn.

Despite being without a number of players for this evening's match with Blackburn, Ray Wilkins believes the squad is well capable of challenging for honours.

Summer signing Ross Turnbull has fallen victim to a simple prank this week, but is still enjoying life at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea players have created their own DVD to mark the Kick it Out Week of Action.

Ray Wilkins has ruled out three players ahead of Saturday's visit of Blackburn Rovers to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea destroyed Atletico Madrid in midweek and will look to take that into the weekend's game against Blackburn.

Branislav Ivanovic's versatility has been a bonus as he looks to establish himself as a regular in the side.

Blackburn have struggled to keep Chelsea's main goalscorers at bay in recent seasons. Will it be the same on Saturday?

Barclays has extended its sponsorship of the Premier League for a further three years.

Ray Wilkins has been assessing the threat of Blackburn Rovers, highlighting one player in particular to look out for.

John Terry will spearhead a squad of ambassadors from across world football in support of England's 2018 World Cup Bid.

One of the season's essential publications can be collected this weekend as the Chelsea Yearbook for 2009/10 becomes available to supporters.

Atletico Madrid will have a new coach in charge when they host Chelsea in the Champions League on 3 November.

Anyone heading to Stamford Bridge for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash with Blackburn may appreciate the following information.

The midfield maestro is this year's anti-racism ambassador. He has been sharing his views with the Chelsea website.

John Terry was satisfied with how the team responded to defeat with a big home win on Wednesday evening.

After netting twice in last night's 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Salomon Kalou admitted he was just pleased to be on the pitch.

It's with a second-place league position secured that some of the Chelsea Ladies embark on international duty once more.

Niall Reilly is the winner of Chelsea's young reporter competition and wins a seat in the press box for Saturday's game against Blackburn.

This week's official club podcast Inside Chelsea looks back over another European win.

Chelsea Football Club and Jobcentre Plus have teamed up to provide support for the unemployed in west London.

It was the goalscorers that were the focus for the talk after the win over Atletico Madrid, own-goal man Luis Perea excluded.

The Blues stand on the verge of qualification thanks to a Salomon Kalou brace, followed by Frank Lampard's first goal in 11 games and a late own-goal.

The Blues stand on the verge of qualification thanks to a Salomon Kalou brace, followed by Frank Lampard's first goal in 11 games and a late own-goal.

40' CHELSEA GOAL: He has missed a couple but Kalou finally finds the net, smashing Cole's cross into the roof of the net after Lampard had released the full-back.

Michael Ballack returns to midfield and there are two changes in defence from the Villa defeat.

You can read today's matchday programme notes online.

When it comes to big game experience, there are few men more qualified than Deco, who has 99 European appearances prior to tonight's game.

From a vantage point high in the Matthew Harding Stand, columnist Giles Smith appraises goalkeepers, and he knows which one he appreciates.

It's not gone well for English clubs in Europe this week but Chelsea could go a long way to qualifying by inflicting pain on Spain.

Atletico Madrid have not been playing the best football of late but Diego Forlan is still looking forward to the clash at Stamford Bridge tonight.

Stamford the Lion has been released by his captors after being kidnapped earlier this morning.

The weekend's Barclays Premier League action was not kind to Chelsea. Defeat at Aston Villa ended their spell at the top of the table.

Tooting's Furzedown Recreation Ground was the scene for a unique community football event last weekend.

Stamford Bridge played host to a trio of cooking maestros in last night's Professional Masterchef, which saw contestants feeding some of the country's top athletes.

Carlo Ancelotti will play his strongest team against Atletico Madrid, knowing a win will put the team well on the way to Champions League progress.

Michael Ballack didn't play in our last two defeats away from home but he knows a comeback will be required against Atletico Madrid tomorrow.

Columnist and former Blue Pat Nevin knows first-hand what life is like in the days after set-piece defending has cost a game. He reveals a little of it here.

The main electricity supply to Stamford Bridge will be switched off for essential maintenance on Sunday 1 November 2009.

It took Alex a matter of seconds to announce his return to competitive action, the Brazilian beginning the scoring in a well-deserved big win.

Facebook users watching tomorrow's live Chelsea Champions League press conference on the club's official website will now be able to interact with each other through Facebook Connect.

Alex, Paulo Ferreira, Daniel Sturridge, Fabio Borini and Ross Turnbull have been selected for reserve starts tonight (Monday).

Chelsea Football Club is giving you the chance to pose your questions to Petr Cech as part of the launch of the club's official presence on the social networking site, Facebook. www.chelseafc.com/facebook. Cech will do his best to answer your queries in a live-streamed web interview on the official Chelsea website early next month. All you need to do is simply add the Chelsea Football Club fan page to your profile and then post your question on the wall. Fans watching the live video will also be able to share their thoughts in real time with other users through the social networking site's latest platform, Facebook Connect. Chelsea is the first football club to use this function on our website. The fan page will offer exclusive content including videos, behind-the-scenes pictures as well as all the latest news from Stamford Bridge. The page will also act as a gateway for our free e-membership scheme which offers fans a series of exclusive competitions and downloadable wallpapers. The move will see Chelsea further increase our presence in social media and help grow the club's online community and network of supporters throughout the world. Chelsea's communications and public affairs director, Simon Greenberg said: 'This is another exciting project for the club in social media following the success of our own Twitter account. 'Having an official presence on Facebook will continue to further engage with our global fan base and allow supporters wherever they live, a chance to interact with the club and other like-minded fans.' Stephen Haines, UK commercial director at Facebook said, 'At Facebook we want to give people the power to connect and share their interests, so we are delighted that Chelsea has decided to actively engage with its fans through the site. 'With over 300 million active users worldwide, using Facebook and Facebook Connect is the ideal way to bring together the loyal and passionate following from around the world that is behind one of the games most popular clubs.' (www.twitter.com/stamfordthelion), Chelsea has unveiled a series of innovative new media offerings recently including an official Twitter page, a community platform for user-generated content known as The Shed and live streaming of pre-match press conferences (both found on the club's official website). Chelsea Digital Media is a joint venture between Chelsea Football Club and Sky and delivers all of Chelsea's digital channels including Chelsea TV, online and mobile.

Petr Cech has discussed the set-piece double that sunk Chelsea at Villa Park and saw a combination of misfortune and errors as the cause of the goals.

On Monday Chelseafc.com catches up with the expert summariser from the club's radio partner, BBC London 94.9, for analysis of the weekend's game.

Franco Di Santo scored his first goal in English football as Blackburn beat Burnley on Sunday.

The European World Cup qualifying play-off draw has taken place, throwing up some interesting ties for the Chelsea men involved.

Chelsea's hunt for the 2009/10 Family of the Season is over and we're pleased to announce the Austins as our winners.

If you've not taken the opportunity to ask Carlo Ancelotti a question in Chelsea magazine yet, now is the time to think of a query for our manager.

Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry are the Chelsea players nominated for the Ballon D'Or award.

Carlo Ancelotti pointed to our poor defending of set pieces as the main contributory factor behind our lunchtime defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.

Chelsea succumbed to a second away league defeat in succession on a frustrating afternoon at Villa Park.

Chelsea succumbed to a second away league defeat in succession on a frustrating afternoon at Villa Park.

51 VILLA GOAL The Blues have big problems from corners. This time Collins heads straight in from Young's delivery as it clears Cech.

After conceding 10 goals in the past four fixtures, the youth side played a good defensive game to maintain a clean sheet and pushed forward in the second-half.

Kick-off in the scheduled 12.45pm kick-off at Villa Park has been delayed by five minutes.

Michael Ballack's place is taken by Florent Malouda while Jose Bosingwa returns at right-back in place of Branislav Ivanovic.

Ricardo Carvalho has been assessing the differences between marking players with pace and those with power ahead of today's trip to Villa Park.

Joe Cole could be given his first league action since January today.

The international break has inflicted only limited damage on the Chelsea squad for the trip to Aston Villa. Michael Ballack is the new player unavailable.

Last season, Nicolas Anelka scored in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa, the first opportunity fans had to see a Chelsea team under the influence of Guus Hiddink.

Carlo Ancelotti has placed his support firmly behind the bid for England to host the World Cup.

Bring out the bread and butter, it's back to league action.

Jonny Gould and Kerry Dixon host this week's fans' phone-in on Chelsea TV's Friday Night Live at 7pm.

Anyone heading to Villa Park for tomorrow's Barclays Premier League clash may appreciate the following information.

There has been a further announcement made regarding ticket sales for the Carling Cup clash with Bolton on Wednesday 28 October.

With World Cup qualification and a new contract both sorted in the last few days, it has been a week to remember for Salomon Kalou.

This week's official club podcast Inside Chelsea has an exclusive interview with Carlo Ancelotti as we head towards a clash with Aston Villa this weekend.

Hilario knows his short spell in the Chelsea first team is likely to be over come Saturday, but such is the life of the back-up goalkeeper.

One of the participants of the recent Football Behind Bars programme has been taken on as a volunteer Chelsea community coach.

Three games played and Chelsea Ladies are already up to fourth place in the League, as well as being through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

With England qualified for next year's World Cup in South Africa, the Get On campaign is calling on Chelsea fans to create a new chant to inspire the team to glory.

There was good news for some with World Cup hopes, but goalkeeper Petr Cech will not be at South Africa 2010.

Whilst chewing his finger nails during the last weekend, columnist Giles Smith noticed that a football legend's managerial career continues to slide.

Six Chelsea players will be a lot clearer on their World Cup qualifying hopes after Wednesday evening's final round of group games.

One man who knows all about Chelsea's French players is former Lyon and Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier.

Conor Clifford was a debutant for Republic of Ireland Under 21s on Tuesday night.

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Alex has signed a new four-year contract.

It's calm before the storm at Chelsea with six games in three weeks once the players return from internationals. Columnist Pat Nevin is looking ahead with excitement.

Frank Lampard, if fielded by England on Wednesday, will move equal with Marcel Desailly as Chelsea's top all-time international appearance maker.

Germany national manager Joachim Loew has confirmed that the ankle injury suffered by Michael Ballack on Saturday is not serious.

Ray Wilkins led an afternoon of golfing this weekend to help raise money for the Past Players' Trust.

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to confirm that Salomon Kalou has signed a new three-year contract.

Chelsea players are supporting a new film unifying the capital to be a host city in 2018.

Didier Drogba, fresh from firing Ivory Coast to the World Cup Finals at the weekend, is targeting success at the tournament beyond his country's showing in 2006.

Michael Ballack is the star attraction in this month's Chelsea magazine, while Carlo Ancelotti returns to answer more fans' questions.

John Mikel Obi did not play but his hopes of joining his fellow African Chelsea players at the World Cup were kept alive by a late Nigeria win on Sunday.

Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Branislav Ivanovic will all be joining their English and Ghanaian colleagues at next summer's World Cup.

A depleted Chelsea youth side travelled to Southampton this weekend for a seven-goal thriller we eventually lost.

The fans' favourite has been making the most of an international week, discussing friends, family and food...

Viewers of Chelsea TV's live coverage of England Under 21s v Macedonia were served up a treat on Friday night as England ran out 6-3 winners.

The players may be away but club statistician Paul Dutton has been busy dealing with many of the queries sent in to his stats surgery.

Frankie Dettori and John McCririck hosted a successful Night at the Races event inside Stamford Bridge yesterday, raising money for a worthy cause.

There have been further announcements made regarding ticket sales for the Manchester United home game on Sunday 8 November.

Two Chelsea staff members involved in optimising player performance were part of a discussion forum on day two of the Leaders in Football summit.

Chelsea Football Club chairman Bruce Buck has spoken on debt in football, and lifted the lid a little on daily life in the boardroom.

For many observers, Sunday's victory and shut-out against Liverpool marked the return of the John Terry-Ricardo Carvalho partnership to its most effective.

It has been a productive few weeks for the Chelsea Ladies, as three wins on the trot produce the best possible start to a season.

Chelsea supporters attending games at Stamford Bridge will already have seen it in the Matthew Harding End; they will soon see it in The Shed.

Think you can talk a good game? Sky Sports are looking for new Chelsea fans to star in FanZone, the place where supporters get to commentate on live games.

This week's official Chelsea podcast Inside Chelsea looks back over the first 'big four' clash of the season, a 2-0 win over Liverpool.

Shot stopper Henrique Hilario and midfield maestro Deco were amazed as they watched Footvolley skills at a recent Pepsi event.

Chelsea TV makes its international debut this Friday, bringing you England Under 21 action exclusively live from Coventry's Ricoh Arena.

That's the way reactions seem to go. Teams are said to lurch from rock-hard solidity to crisis, from boom to bust, in the space of one result.

Three Chelsea matches in December have been scheduled for live television coverage.

Over 1,000 figures from world football have gathered at Stamford Bridge today as Chelsea host the Leaders in Football conference for a second year.

It is not only at senior level that Chelsea players are involved in international football over the next few days.

Michael Essien today has his latest blog posting on both Chelseafc.com and his own personal website, with the World Cup very much on his mind.

It is a huge week for a number of Chelsea men hoping to be at next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

Chelsea Football Club and Essex County Council teamed up to this week launch a unique apprenticeship scheme.

First blood to the man in blue wearing 11 reckons columnist Pat Nevin as dust settles on the weekend's big match.

The August Goal of the Month has been awarded to Deco for his phenomenal strike against Sunderland.

Petr Cech previews his international duties in tonight's Blues News ahead of a game against Poland.

A goal in each half consigned the reserves to their second defeat of the season in a match that featured Joe Cole and Nemanja Matic.

Goalscorer Florent Malouda believes it was important to take advantage after our title rivals dropped points over the weekend.

Joe Cole will use tonight's away reserve fixture to boost his match fitness in a game that can be viewed on Chelsea TV.

Stand-in goalkeeper Hilario and centre-half Ricardo Carvalho have had their say on Sunday's 2-0 win over Liverpool.

On Monday Chelseafc.com catches up with the expert summariser from the club's radio partner, BBC London 94.9, for analysis of the weekend's game.

What a difference a week makes. Last Saturday at Wigan, Didier Drogba was labelling it the worst performance since he had been at Chelsea.

Clive Walker joins Jason Cundy in tonight's Weekend Review as the two former Blues assess yesterday's win over Liverpool.

Among the capacity crowd at Stamford Bridge on Sunday were three NBA basketballers who will be in action in London on Tuesday night.

Carlo Ancelotti was satisfied with his side's performance and had praise for the tireless work ethic against what he called an 'excellent' Liverpool side.

A Gallic double act of Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda gave Chelsea victory in the first big one of the season.

A Gallic double act of Nicolas Anelka and Florent Malouda gave Chelsea victory in the first big one of the season.

59 CHELSEA GOAL Anelka taps in from close range after Drogba's superb left-sided cross.

Michael Ballack and Deco return for Chelsea in midfield, but Jose Bosingwa misses out due to injury.

Riccy has been pondering what it will take to stop the in-form Fernando Torres at Stamford Bridge this afternoon.

Just over a year on from Liverpool's win at Stamford Bridge, Rafael Benitez's side have lost an important part of that team reckons Carlo Ancelotti.

Henrique Hilario will keep goal against Liverpool. He believes the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge can have an effect on Sunday's match.

Carlo Ancelotti will be renewing rivalries with a familiar European opponent in Rafa Benitez on Sunday, who he believes is one of the game's great tacticians.

Chelsea's youth team twice came back from a one-goal deficit to beat neighbours Fulham 4-3 at Cobham today (Saturday).

It hasn't been just another week at work for masseur Pedro Philippou. He returned to the place he spent his childhood to see Chelsea take on the club for which his grandfather worked.

Carlo Ancelotti is billing Sunday's big match at Stamford Bridge as a chance to watch the world's supreme strikers in action.

Michael Ballack is hoping to be the catalyst for an improved team performance against Liverpool on Sunday.

Liverpool lost away in Europe and Chelsea won, but both sides have been in better form as they head into the big match. Will it catch fire on Sunday?

Chelsea's legendary striker Kerry Dixon will sign copies of a new book that celebrates one of his greatest days. He's in the Megastore before Sunday's Liverpool game.

Another overground station is now open near Stamford Bridge, easing congestion for fans on matchdays.

It's a big one this weekend as Liverpool visit the Bridge for the first 'big four' clash of our season and fans are advised to arrive early.

Anyone heading to Stamford Bridge for the weekend's clash with Liverpool may appreciate the following information.

Sam Hutchinson has earned his first England Under 21 call-up, and is one of five Chelsea men in Stuart Pearce's squad.

Sent off at Wigan and suspended for Liverpool, Petr Cech believes he saw enough in the side's performance at APOEL to give him confidence in his absence.

Much like the club's past seven days, there is a mixed bag in our new official Inside Chelsea podcast.

One year into the latest chapter in his Chelsea history, Ray Wilkins has spoken to Chelseafc.com about stability in the face of fast-changing managers and team formations.

A win should always be valued, especially when it comes away in Europe. That was the point being made by John Terry and Frank Lampard after victory in Cyprus.

Carlo Ancelotti admitted the Blues didn't play well against APOEL tonight, but insisted there were positives to take for the next fixture.

Nicolas Anelka's goals continue to drive Chelsea on in the Champions League but the performance was not one to remove all concerns after the Wigan defeat.

Nicolas Anelka's goals continue to drive Chelsea on in the Champions League but the performance was not one to remove concerns after the Wigan defeat.