A month in the life at Chelsea - European football returns to the Bridge

The ground will be full to its 42,000 capacity for the visit of Schalke, with prices chopped to £25 a ticket in a bid to avoid the sort of funereal atmosphere which accompanied Jose Mourinho's last game in charge.

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So much has changed in five weeks. Chelsea's ultimate ambition may remain the same - world domination - and the mantra regurgitated by the players is that they are still in four competitions.

But with new boss Avram Grant settling into his new role and an even newer assistant manager in Henk Ten Cate, they will now be chasing their dreams with a new dashing brand of football.

Unlike the days under Mourinho, the flair is expected to be produced on the pitch not in front of the media.

"I have a vision of how Chelsea need to play," mumbled Grant as he explained Ten Cate's arrival.

"Entertaining football and results. Once you have the strategy, you need to put the right people inside.

"So many people suggested themselves for this job - and that's reasonable at such a big club.

"But Ten Cate was the right man. He was after a deputy's job. The way of coaching has changed and will change more in the future. Ten Cate is the right man for us, for me, for us ... for me."

As Chelsea warmed up for training at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Ten Cate was in conversation with Andriy Shevchenko on the edge of the penalty area.

Grant prowled the turf, surveying a squad without the injured John Terry and Ashley Cole.

Locked outside a transfer window, the manager must coax the right attitude from Mourinho's players and last week's comments from Didier Drogba proved how tricky that can be.

Despite regular assurances from Drogba that he is committed to the club - the latest just yesterday when he claimed he is behind the Blues "100 per cent" - there has been nothing to suggest the striker has changed his mind and wants to stay beyond the end of the season.

One of Drogba's agents yesterday claimed his client was ready to add Juventus to his list of preferred destinations, which already includes Real Madrid, Barcelona and both Milan clubs.

"It's no secret Didier loves Milan," Etienne Mendy told Italian TV. "He jets off there whenever he gets time off but you cannot discount Juventus."

Drogba's performance at Middlesbrough on Saturday, when he scored the opener in a 2-0 win, was enough to convince his team-mates his mind was still on the job in hand.

"Didier opened his heart in his interview," said keeper Petr Cech. "But the main thing is that he's always been brilliant on the pitch."

Grant's first six games in charge have included five away from home. His only one at Stamford Bridge was a 0-0 draw against Fulham in the Premier League.

Even the presence of Roman Abramovich in the Shed End that day was not enough to stop supporters from singing about their absent hero Mourinho.

Three gutsy victories since - at Valencia, Bolton and Middlesbrough - may ensure a warmer reception for the Israeli tonight.

Grant said: "Any new coach has to show the fans he can improve something. It's easier to show them that after we've won a few games, but we don't want to stop with this.

"I like to win, but the way we win is also important. I know that we cannot play the best in all the games, for all 90 minutes, but this is our goal."

Grant knows a fourth successive win for Chelsea, against a Schalke team hit by injuries, would put them in command of Group B.

Despite his cheerless refrain, the manager is optimistic. He is a ground half full kind of guy.

PROBABLE TEAMS

CHELSEA (4-5-1): Cech, Belletti, Alex, Carvalho, Bridge, J Cole, Essien, Makelele, Lampard, Malouda, Drogba.

SCHALKE (4-4-2): Neuer, Rafinha, Westermann, Bordon, Rodriguez, Jones, Ernst, Krstajic, Kuranyi, Lovenkrands.

Referee: Peter Frojdfeldt (Swe)