Chelsea boss Grant must deal with more bruised egos as he decides who to leave on the bench

A sign of confidence in both his own position and Chelsea's Champions League chances? Perhaps.

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But the cynics - and there are plenty of them in west London - might suggest another reason.

The suspicion lingers that Grant's future is less likely to be decided by Greeks bearing grief at Stamford Bridge than by the disgruntled stars in his own squad.

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Decision time: Avram Grant and Henk ten Cate must juggle an increasingly volatile collection of Chelsea superstars

Rather than focus on the players charged with delivering a quarter-final spot, it might be prudent for Grant to keep one eye on the men behind him on the substitutes' bench.

His future will be decided on his ability to prevent outright rebellion among those left out of favour.

He would never admit it, but Grant may be pining for the days when injuries, suspensions and the Africa Cup of Nations meant his team was virtually picked for him.

The return of the club's African stars and the recovery of John Terry and Frank Lampard from injury have, rather than bolster Grant's position, prompted mutinous mutterings.

Lampard was furious at being dumped from Grant's team in Olympiacos two weeks ago, Terry had an angry exchange with first-team coach Henk ten Cate on the eve of the Carling Cup Final while Ashley Cole seethed at not even making the squad at Wembley.

Now, Michael Ballack faces the possibility of being relegated to the bench just four days after helping crush West Ham.

In public, Grant is sanguine at the prospect of handling Chelsea's super-sized egos.

"Any player in the squad expects to play," he said. "I don't want to be with a squad where players don't want to play.

"We are a big squad with good players and every game is a different game: tactically it is different, the other team plays in a different way.

"Only 11 can play. Any formation or 11 that I pick, there will be big players on the bench. But the bench is very important for us and also the players not in the squad. This is life in a big club."

It will be intriguing to see how Grant handles the strops and sulks of Chelsea's star names.

He has never pretended to be the players' friend and is not believed to be close to any of them.

Grant's best skill, exemplified in his rapid elevation to the Stamford Bridge hot-seat, is in playing politics with the men who count - in this case, Roman Abramovich.

But even in the Bridge's autocratic regime, the dressing room matters.

Grant can escape with alienating his fringe players but not figures of the stature of Terry, Lampard or Didier Drogba.

It is one of the reasons Ballack - an A-lister on the international stage, but who suffers diminished status at Chelsea - could be sacrificed for Lampard against the Grreks.

Grant is left with a delicate balancing act as he tries to appease his galacticos while also maintaining his autonomy, but either way tough decisions are looming.

His midfield is a minefield: it is now painfully obvious that Ballack and Lampard - both formidable attacking talents who thrive at being in the centre of the action - cannot be fielded together.

The same applies to Jon Mikel Obi and Claude Makelele, only one of whom can fill the holding role.

Up front, things are hardly more clear-cut. Drogba and Nicolas Anelka are uneasy partners, for all their individual talent, while even Joe Cole's consistently impressive form this term does not guarantee him a regular starting place as Grant tries to shoe-horn Salomon Kalou, Shaun Wright-Phillips and the forgotten man Andriy Shevchenko into the mix.

"Squad rotation applies for every big club - Manchester United and Arsenal have big players left out," Joe Cole admits.

"As footballers you are responsible for one thing and that's your performance.

"All I'm concerned with, is can I help Chelsea get a result? I don't pay attention to any of the drama surrounding this football club.

"My job is to perform as well as I can."

Grant's decision to rest several stars in Athens has given the match a treacherous hue.

The Greeks are no longer Europe's whipping boys: they have conquered Lazio and Werder Bremen this season and plundered a goal at Real Madrid, a scenario which could have disastrous consequences if repeated this evening.

Grant needs no reminding of how Abramovich yearns for the Champions League.

It is the one trophy the Russian's millions have proved unable to buy and, with the final in Moscow, there would be no better time for Grant to deliver.

"In football today is a lot of pressure," Grant added.

"If we do not qualify . . . I don't know the word. As a good team that wants to be bigger we need to be in the final of the Champions League."