chelseafc.comCHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB OFFICIAL SITE

Carlo Ancelotti does not expect to make wholesale changes to his team for tomorrow's trip to Blackburn.

Despite tasting defeat against Inter on Tuesday night, Ancelotti has faith in his men and believes they are fresh enough for the challenge of Sam Allardyce's men, but would consider rotating when we visit Portsmouth on Wednesday.

We begin a period of three games inside a week at Ewood Park tomorrow afternoon, and the Italian is conscious of the demands of modern football, however he believes five days' rest after Tuesday's loss should be sufficient.

'We have to consider that we have three games, Blackburn, Portsmouth and Aston Villa and I need to change something for the next game,' Ancelotti said. 'I don't know for Sunday because Sunday we have a time to recover well from Tuesday. Maybe I can change something but we have to pay attention to the next games.'

Recalling our last trip to Blackburn, a 3-3 draw in the Carling Cup earlier this season, in which Ancelotti fielded a number of youngsters, he explained the side this time would be far more senior.

'I put in the last game some young players to improve their experience. Now we have an idea to put our best line-up because for us it is like a final and I want the best line-up.

'I think that maybe some players can do 100 per cent during all the season, I feel the team is in good condition,' he continued.

'We have to play the best team, I don't have Essien, Ashley Cole and Bosingwa, the other players are fit, Deco improved his condition, Zhirkov came in after a month out, physically we are in good condition.'

With the Champions League exit now behind us, Ancelotti has shifted our focus towards a domestic Double, and it reminds him of a European exit with Milan in 2004, when Deportivo La Coruna overturned a 4-1 first leg deficit to send the Rossoneri out.

'After La Coruna it was the same, we were in top of the list and immediately we changed focus to Serie A, and we won,' he explained. 'It is not easy because the disappointment stays in your mind but we have to be able to remove it and look forward.

'My dream is to put the Champions League here in Stamford Bridge. We missed this year, but my job now is to look forward.'

The FA Youth Cup returns to Stamford Bridge on Monday, and Daniel Sturridge has been recalling the time he scored there in the competition.

The 20-year-old forward netted for Manchester City in the first leg of the Final back in 2008, a goal that earned his side a 1-1 draw against the Blues, before we were beaten 3-1 in the return leg at Eastlands.

'I'd already played for the first team at City but it was still a buzz to be in such a big stadium with a big crowd, even though I wasn't too popular that night because I scored the City goal,' Sturridge said.

'Playing in the Youth Cup in front of a big crowd was a great feeling. I remember the game at Stamford Bridge, I was playing for City obviously but the atmosphere that night was amazing; there were a lot of people there.

'It is a great tournament, it really opens your eyes as a kid and even though I missed the second leg of the Final I still have my winners' medal at home, it's all great memories.'

Now our lads face Blackburn in the semi-final second leg on Monday, with a 1-0 advantage brought back south from Ewood Park on Wednesday. Sturridge is hoping they receive the same levels of support that he saw two years ago.

'I urge people to get along to Stamford Bridge because it helps the lads having people support them, and they have a great chance of making the Final again,' he said.

Supporters are advised to book their seats early for the semi-final second leg, as only 3,000 tickets are available for Monday night's match.

Chelsea TV will also be broadcasting the match live on Sky channel 421, from 6.15pm.

Carlo Ancelotti may have Petr Cech available for selection as we look to recover from Champions League disappointment at Blackburn on Sunday.

The goalkeeper has been out with a calf injury since our European first leg defeat at Inter on February 24, but has now returned to training. Ancelotti will monitor the situation before leaving for the north-west on Saturday afternoon.

'Cech trained today, but is doubtful for Sunday,' Ancelotti said on Friday afternoon. 'He will train tomorrow and we will take a decision for the game against Blackburn.'

Hilario is still absent though, meaning Ross Turnbull, who has deputised in the last two matches, could continue. Yesterday, Turnbull called for focus as we aim for an FA Cup and Barclays Premier League double and today his manager was in full agreement.

'Now we have to look at the Premier League and the FA Cup. It is not an easy moment because we are out from an important competition, the Champions League, we are disappointed for this but this is football and we have to look forward to the next game,' the manager said.

'I can say that we have to have a very good reaction, every game will be very important and we have 10 or 11 games to the end of the season. We can do a fantastic season because we are involved in two important competitions and after this disappointment we need a good reaction on Sunday.

'Our destiny is in our hands, if we win every game we can do the Double, and it is very difficult, but we can try. It is very important to think about this, only five teams won the Double in 140 years here in England. It is our aim.'

Three days after exiting Europe, spirits are beginning to lift and Ancelotti was keen to express he still has faith in the players at his disposal.

'I have trust in these players. I have confidence and it can happen sometimes that we are not able to do what we want,' he explained. 'I have fantastic, professional players and we have very good direction.

'We want to play football - I always said our aim is to play good football. We missed the last game but want to come back to play good football against Blackburn.'

Ancelotti was joined at the training ground by club owner Roman Abramovich on Thursday, and the Italian believes his presence will be a boost to the squad.

'Roman was here yesterday, he spoke with me, with the players, he came here to support us because he knows very well football and he knows we are involved in important competitions, so I think it was very good his presence yesterday,' the manager said.

'We didn't speak about the future, the changes for next season, because it is not the right time now to speak about this.

'We have important games in the next week and we have to stay focused, all the club, for these games. After, we have a lot of time to speak about the future of this team. It is normal that in a new season there are new faces. Now I want to think about this team and I want to put this team in the best position until the end of the season.'

Are you following us on Twitter yet? You can keep up to date with all the news and behind the scenes action from both Stamford Bridge and Cobham, courtesy of mascot Stamford the Lion...

To return to winning ways Chelsea must beat a Blackburn side that has won its last four home games and knocked us out of the Carling Cup at Ewood Park. There could be easier challenges but at least the players know there is no time for licking wounds after the Champions League exit.

A 5-0 scoreline back in October at the Bridge showed the way to defeat Sam Allardyce's team and the Carling Cup penalty shoot-out defeat apart, our record up there over the past decade has been excellent with six wins, one draw and just one defeat in the league, but our away form in 2010 has been patchy and the squad is fully aware it must improve.

'We have to be focused,' insists Michael Ballack. 'When you lose a game and you go out of a big competition, it is always difficult and everybody is down but you have to move forward.

'To win the game against Blackburn, we must take on and win the battles.'

'It will be a difficult game,' agrees Salomon Kalou. 'But we don't have a choice, we have to fight back. We've got to bounce back now from the disappointment of Tuesday so we have to go there 100 per cent, 200 per cent even!

'It will be a good memory for me to go there,' says the Ivorian striker who scored in December's visit to Blackburn, as he also did in a Carling Cup game in 2006.

'I'll try to do it again. We normally do all right at Blackburn, but games against them are always different. They play a physical game.'

For Ballack, it is all about staying ahead of the race for what is now the main prize.

'I am hungry. A club like Chelsea wants to win everything, that is why we have a big squad with good players and to be out in such a big competition as the Champions League is a big disappointment for us, but that is football and our target is the league now.

'That is what we have and we are in first position if we win our game in hand. It is also a big competition for us because we have not won it the last three years so we have to be focused on this.'

Blackburn, like Chelsea in recent games, will have a stand-in keeper on Sunday. Kalou and his fellow strikers must beat Jason Brown who will fill in for calf-injury victim Paul Robinson.

Also out are captain Ryan Nelsen (knee), Gael Givet (groin), Lars Jacobsen (hernia) and Vince Grella (calf).