BLUES TRAIN IN SPAIN

John Terry, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho have taken part in a squad training session on the pitch that will stage Wednesday evening's Champions League encounter.

All eyes were immediately drawn to our captain's brand new protective head gear, worn from the first warm-up exercise onwards but not nearly as obtrusive as might have been imagined.

Avram Grant indicated before training began that it would be this last session before the game that would determine the captain's availability, the same with Michael Essien.

'John Terry wants to play which is very good for us,' the first team coach said. 'We will speak to the medical department and then decide.'

Terry's fellow central defender Carvalho has been unavailable since suffering an injury at Reading in the first week of the season. Essien missed last weekend's game with a small tear in his calf.

Those not making the journey to Spain from the registered Champions League squad are Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Wayne Bridge who plays tonight in reserves to improve his match fitness.

John Mikel Obi and Didier Drogba are free from their domestic suspensions.

On second sight, the high-rise stands of Valencia's Mestalla stadium no longer appear quite the cliff face they did back in April when we last visited - but no-one at Chelsea is under any illusion that they won't ensure a hot atmosphere on what is forecast to be a warm Spanish night.

Construction on a new, larger stadium for our opponents (the Nou Mestalla, based on Munich's avant-garde Allianz Arena) is now underway, further towards the edges of the city than the Mestalla which looks a ground that has seen a big game or two.

The upper tier extensions in particular are rough and ready around the edges while facilities behind the scenes for the fans are a long way behind the Premier League standard.

On Wednesday night however, it will hold over 50,000 home fans, hoping to see their team make amends for their defeat by Chelsea here last season.

Grant, on the eve of his first Valencia v Chelsea clash, is ready.

'I don't see it as pressure. I like to be involved in these big games. Of course it is a big challenge but all European games are big challenges,' he said before leading his players out for their Tuesday evening training session.

'We lost two points in the last game at home against the team that is on paper the weakest in the group so we need a good result tomorrow to continue in the Champions League,' he added, declaring that the bottom line is to secure points to stabilise the European campaign.

'First we want to win any game. If we can make tomorrow an exciting game with plenty of entertainment we will do it but the result is more important.'