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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).

It's been a busy week for youth team manager Dermot Drummy, who guided his side to a first leg FA Youth Cup semi-final win over Blackburn on Wednesday (The second leg is at the Bridge on Monday). Here he reveals what stood out during the last seven days.

The best goal I have seen this week…
I would say Clint Dempsey for Fulham against Juventus. I think Fulham did fantastically and Dempsey's goal in that outstanding match was brilliant.

The best save I have seen this week…
Sam Walker, he made a fantastic save after the melee [in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup semi-final]. He got down low and those things keep the game going your way.

The best training…
The best training player would be a close one between Gokhan Tore and Jacopo Sala. In the games they have contested and they both play with wonderful technical ability.

The worst training…
It has to be me joining in a game and Billy Clifford dumping me on the floor. I went into a challenge with him but I am slightly heavier than him and I was off balance. He knew it as well, so he gave me a little nudge and I went down much to the amusement of the players.

Funniest moment of the week…
That would be Gokhan Tore with his shirt off on the coach on the way back from Blackburn. He is very proud of his body so he was showing off and there was some good banter in the process.

Best food this week…
I'd better be careful here, Charlotte, Maggie and Karen, the cooks at the Academy, might be reading. Sometimes they allow us sausages and bacon, only on the rare occasion, but we had sausages this morning. So I will have to go with a toasted sausage sandwich with some tomato sauce.

Favourite sound this week….
Favourite sound of the week was the final whistle at Ewood Park, without a doubt.

Best entertainment…
The most entertaining thing to happen this week would be listening to Mark Beeney [Academy goalkeeping coach], who came off his motorcycle outside his house.

He pulled his groin and has bruises everywhere, everything is swollen up, and seeing him trying to move in the goalkeeper's warm-up was very funny. Thankfully he's on the road to repair but listening to his story about his wife telling him to buy a Porsche instead of a motorbike in his mid-life crisis was very entertaining.

The news story that stands out…
I think the Jose Mourinho circus, listening to the hype and seeing it all orchestrated. It is quite interesting to me to see how much media attention was generated and it got me thinking how do you counter that? He is a very interesting man and that has to have been the biggest story of the week.

And a special mention goes to…
My special mention has to go to the team that work with me. I am surrounded by fantastic support from everybody. The staff are honest and sincere in their work, they are brilliant. So the special mention goes to all the support people here.

The FA Youth Cup semi-final second leg is on Monday at Stamford Bridge. Please note there is a maximum 3,000 tickets available, buy tickets here. Kick-off is 7pm.

The match will also be live on Chelsea TV with coverage beginning at 6.15pm