KENYON SATISFIED AND DETERMINED

Chief executive Peter Kenyon has given an early reaction from within the club to this season's Champions League group stage draw.

Chelsea, drawn from Pot 1, have been given games against Valencia, Schalke 04 and Rosenborg.

Kenyon, in Monaco for the proceedings, said: 'We were a top seed and that is always going to make a huge difference but you are always going to have tough competition.

'Valencia we know from last season when we knocked them out in the quarter-finals and with Schalke, German teams are always tough. Rosenborg are eternal qualifiers.

'Overall I think there are no easy groups but we have got to be satisfied with that.'

Kenyon also spoke more generally about the ambition within the club to win the competition.

'We have been semi-finalists three times in the last four years. We have gone through the group stages every year but it is the elusive competition for us when you look at our record at domestic level. So there is a big determination.

'That is fuelled by a squad we think we have a strengthened and is as strong as we have had in the last four years.

'There is huge determination to reach the next stage which is certainly reaching the Final, and then when you get there, it is a whole new board game. We have a lot of confidence and experience and we are looking forward to this campaign.'