Chelsea's Russian owner, Roman Abramovich, has splashed out US$120 million on new players. Now he wants to see some results for his money.
Armed with seven new players, the Blues go to Slovakia on Wednesday for a Champions League qualifying round game against MSK Zilina. Four days later, the star-studded Chelsea team meets Liverpool in the opening round of the Premier League.
With the Champions League reaching the third qualifying round, some of soccer's big names enter the competition -- four-time winner Ajax Amsterdam, Italy's Lazio, Spain's Deportivo de La Coruna and Celta Vigo, Germany's Borussia Dortmund, England's Newcastle, Galatasaray of Turkey, Portugal's Benfica, Scotland's Rangers and Celtic and Olympique Marseille of France.
But most eyes will be on how well Chelsea starts the season, with manager Claudio Ranieri under pressure to achieve results from day one.
Anything other than a victory at Zilina in Wednesday's first leg will be viewed as failure for a team which has added the likes of Juan Sebastian Veron, Damien Duff, Geremi, Wayne Bridge, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson and goalkeeper Marco Ambrosio to a squad already loaded with talented players.
Among those already at Stamford Bridge is veteran French defender Marcel Desailly, who won the title with AC Milan in 1994 and has signed a contract extension to stay with the Blues until 2005.
"The new people running the club have shown that they are building for the long term, with the players being signed all under 30," said Desailly, who turned 35 next month.
"This means that I will be able to finish my career in Europe at a big club, like Paolo Maldini at AC Milan.
"It has been too long since I took part in the Champions League. Now there is a lot of pressure on the squad and results are wanted straight away but it will take time to get the squad together," Desailly said.
"All I know though is that we have the quality and the opportunity to do some great things. In the medium term, we will have results.
"Roman Abramovich has taken some intelligent decisions. He has put in place the means of making Chelsea one of the big clubs in Europe."
Romanian striker Adrian Mutu is also on the brink of joining the club from Italian club Parma but it will be too late to play on Wednesday in the 6,311 seater Pod Dubnom stadium.
Because of the low capacity, MSK officials have arranged to have a big TV screen outside so that more fans can watch the game.
Chelsea edged Liverpool for the fourth Champions League spot last season and its fans won't want any slip-ups at the first hurdle. The second legs are in two weeks time when Zilina travel to Stamford Bridge.
Ajax, which last won the title eight years ago, is in action on Tuesday when it goes to Austria to face Grazer AK.
Although coach Ronald Koeman has lost team captain Cristian Chivu to AS Roma, winger Andy van der Meyde to Inter Milan and striker Mido Hossam went to Marseille, he has acquired Wesley Sonck, the top scorer from the Belgian league, as a second striker alongside Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
In attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, Ajax could have one of the stars of the championship if the Dutch powerhouse, which finished runner up to PSV Eindhoven, can make it to the lucrative group stages of the competition.
Lazio hosts Benfica in the eye-catching matchup of the round in front of 60,000 fans and coach Roberto Mancini says he intends to field an attacking lineup at Rome's Olympic stadium.
Bernardo Corradi and Simone Inzaghi are expected to start with Claudio Lopez in support.
"We can't afford missing qualification to the next round of the competition," Inzaghi said. "This is the priority of our season. We are in good physical condition and confident to do well. Benfica is a dangerous opponent, with a great past."
Benfica, which won the title twice in the 1960s and is a five-time runner up, is looking for long overdue success in Europe's premier competition. Now guided by former Spanish national team coach Jose Antonio Camacho, the team gained a spot as runner up to FC Porto.
But the club's cash has dried up due to poor financial management and a lack of success on the pitch. In its last two appearances in the competition, it was thrashed 7-0 by Celta Vigo in 1999-2000 and was knocked out by Swedish minnow Halmstads the following season.
A new 65,000-seat Stadium of Light, which will host the final and other games in next year's European championships, has also drained resources and left little cash for team improvements.
Camacho has despaired at his lack of spending money which kept Benfica out of the summer transfer market.
"If you want trophies, ask the board," he said.
Celta Vigo hosts Slavia Prague on Tuesday while Deportivo visits Norway's Rosenborg, which is aiming to reach the group stages for a record ninth time in a row.
Scottish champion Rangers hosts FC Copenhagen while Celtic, which lost the title on goal difference to its big rival, visits MTK Budapest.
Borussia Dortmund, whose lone Champions League success was six years ago, has a tough game at Belgian champion Club Brugge while Galatasaray, UEFA Cup winner three seasons ago, hosts CSKA Sofia.
Dortmund has started the season without goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who has been sold to Arsenal, and three defensive midfielders who are out with long-term injuries. Evanilson, Torsten Frings and Guy Demel, all tore knee ligaments.
Galatasaray has been boosted by the return to Turkish soccer of Hakan Sukur after spells with Inter Milan and Blackburn Rovers. The lanky striker scored twice in Galatasaray's narrow comeback victory against Diyarbakirspor Saturday.
Bobby Robson's Newcastle has a tricky visit to Partizan Belgrade and Olympique Marseille visits FK Vienna.
Former German World Cup star Lothar Matthaeus, now in charge of Partizan, said his players must pay special attention to veteran Magpies striker Alan Shearer, the 33-year-old former England captain who scored 25 goals last season.
"He is still an extra class," Matthaeus said. "Everyone knows how he plays."
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