Chelsea target nothing less than Champions League crown

LONDON, Sep 7 (Reuters) Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, boosted by the European experience of Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack have their eyes firmly fixed on winning the Champions League this season.

After winning successive English titles the Portuguese coach is under pressure to achieve success in Europe to justify the more than 400 million dollar spent by Russian owner Roman Abramovich since he bought the club in 2003.

First though, Chelsea have to negotiate their way through a tough opening phase which has grouped them with European champions Barcelona for the third successive season, hard-to-beat Germans Werder Bremen and Bulgarian debutants Levski Sofia.

Honours are even with Barca with Chelsea knocking out the Spanish champions in a fiery quarter-final in 2005 and Barcelona eliminating Chelsea in the first knockout round earlier thisyear before winning the title.

There is clearly no love lost between Mourinho and Barca coach Frank Rijkaard after accusations of diving and trying to influence the referee as well as controversial red cards and disputed goals.

But as befits two of the competition's favourites the ties do produce some tense, fast and scintillating football, living up to their top billing.

The signings of AC Milan's Ukraine striker Shevchenko and Germany captain Ballack from Bayern Munich leave no doubt as to Chelsea's European ambitions.

''We know the Premiership is very difficult to win and we know to win the Premiership you must be a great team,'' Mourinho said in an interview with the Chelsea TV last week.

''But the most important competition in terms of clubs in the world must be the Champions League. There is no doubt that at the later stages, the knockout makes the situation harder to control.

But for a club like Chelsea which is becoming bigger and bigger, I think the Champions League must be the consequence one day of that work,'' he said.

Mourinho has also signed young blood in forward Salomon Kalou and midfielder John Obi Mikel and added to their defence with Khalid Boulahrouz and England's Ashley Cole while French defender William Gallas has left.

They may regret one close season departure, however. Eidur Gudjohnsen joined Barcelona after six years at Chelsea, after failing to earn a regular place in the starting side.

The Iceland striker scored on his debut for the European champions and may have a point to prove.

REUTERS PDS KN1719