Unwanted history beckons for Chelsea

DEFENDING champions Chelsea face the ignominy of becoming the first title-holders to fail to advance to the Champions League knockout stage as the final round of group fixtures takes place tonight.

A comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Juventus a fortnight ago left Chelsea’s title defence hanging by a thread and the Blues’ destiny out of their hands, as a draw between Group E frontrunners Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus in Ukraine would consign Rafa Benitez’s side to the Europa League.

The pressure is already mounting on Benitez after an inauspicious start as Chelsea manager following his appointment in the wake of Roberto di Matteo’s dismissal, with the team yet to record a victory under the Spaniard’s tutelage and the fans quickly losing patience.

“We have to improve on the pitch and the fans will be happy,” Benitez said, following Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham on Saturday, with the match against Denmark’s FC Nordsjaelland looming.

Celtic go into their final Group G fixture against bottom side Spartak Moscow needing to earn a better result than Benfica achieve at Barcelona, who are already assured of first place.

Manchester United are qualified as winners of Group H, with Alex Ferguson likely to field another youthful side against CFR Cluj but one that may feature Nemanja Vidic.

The Serbian defender has been sidelined since mid-September after undergoing knee surgery, and his presence would be a welcome return to a porous United backline that was brutally exposed in the club’s 4-3 win over lowly Reading at the weekend.

An inexperienced line-up could play into the hands of the Romanians, who must better Galatasaray’s result at already eliminated Braga to usurp the Turkish outfit for a spot in the round of 16.

Bayern Munich and Valencia are both qualified from Group F, and the former can seal top spot if they beat Europa League-bound BATE Borisov, but Valencia could pip Bayern if they collect more points at Lille. – Sapa-AFP