Champions League - Team News: Blues options

Eurosport - Wed, 05 Mar 17:05:00 2008

Avram Grant has plenty of options ahead of Chelsea's Champions League last 16 second-leg tie against Olympiacos.

FOOTBALL Nicolas Anelka and Avram Grant 2007/2008 - 0

Follow LIVE text commentary of all three matches here on eurosport.yahoo.com from 19.45 GMT. Click the links below the picture for projected line-ups.

Chelsea v Olympiacos (First leg 0-0)

There is plenty for Grant to mull over, but Michael Ballack and Joe Cole should start after their impressive performances against West Ham.

Didier Drogba should also come back in, leaving Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka to fight it out for a solitary place.

Andriy Shevchenko is available again but is unlikely to figure.

Meanwhile, Olympiacos' former Premier League star Lomana LuaLua dislocated his shoulder at the weekend and will be out for around six weeks.

Luicano Galletti, who played in the first leg, is out with a thigh strain, and former Real Madrid and Leeds man Raul Bravo is a long term absentee.

The Greeks have lost on all seven of their previous visits to England.

Real Madrid v Roma (Roma lead 2-1)

Robinho made a sensational return from a two-week injury lay-off during Saturday's 3-2 win at Recreativo Huelva and will start for the Spanish champions.

Ruud van Nistelrooy missed that game and remains a doubt for the Roma match, while pacy winger Arjen Robben suffered a serious ankle strain against Recreativo which will sideline him for several weeks.

Real's back four have made some costly errors in defence in recent matches and they will be heartened by the return of Portugal centre-back Pepe after a month out injured, but influential right-back Sergio Ramos is suspended

For Roma, full-back Marco Cassetti is out with a shoulder injury, Brazilian defender Juan is battling to return to fitness from a foot injury and Chilean midfielder David Pizarro is also a doubt.

Centre-back Matteo Ferrari and Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani are favourites to step in if they fail to make it.

Porto v Schalke (Schalke lead 1-0)

Bosingwa and Adriano have both recovered from thigh strains and are available for selection. Lisandro Lopez and Raul Meireles have been carrying minor knocks but should be fine but Mario Bolatti is still out.

Schalke have long-term absentees Christian Pander and Mathias Abel available to them but it is unlikely that either of the two players will start.

Zlatan Bajramovic has been out since December with a toe injury and will not figure.

Seán Fay / Eurosport / Reuters