Champions League: It is strange to contemplate Chelsea recoiling from any trophy, yet there were shudders and sniggers when Jose Mourinho mentioned his team's name in the same sentence as one particular piece of silverware. "If we finish third then we are favourites to win the Uefa Cup," the manager said before tonight's start to Group A of the Champions League, against Werder Bremen at Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho knows he is doomed to failure in any such attempt to lighten the burden of expectation that Chelsea carry. There is truth in his claim that many strong rivals are springing up on the continent, but that factor will not spare him from having triumph in the Champions League treated as a necessity for Chelsea.

Many even suppose that it would be his cue to depart the club. "Not correct." he retorted. "I made one mistake at Porto. I left when I was European champion. I could have won the Inter-Continental Cup, but I didn't because I left." He seemed semi-serious in his regret that he allowed a successor to enjoy that honour.

Mourinho was not massaging egos on the continent when speaking of the "minimum of 10" sides with a realistic prospect of prevailing in this season's Champions League. "They have the same potential as we have and the same ambitions," the manager said, talking as if he was outing opponents he envies for avoiding the scrutiny under which Chelsea fall. The 10 he listed were: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Lyon, Milan and Internazionale. The Portuguese put specific emphasis on the potency of the last of them.

"In terms of numbers and quality I think (Inter) have the best squad in the world at the moment," Mourinho judged. "We have a squad of 19 and some of them are young kids. They have a squad not for the future but for today." With Luis Figo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Adriano, Patrick Vieira, Hernan Crespo and Javier Zanetti on the books, the assertion is not particularly whimsical.

Mourinho's sense of difficulties is acute when the manager finds himself in the same group as the holders, just as he did in his first two years in London. Then it was Porto and Liverpool; now it is Barcelona, who knocked Chelsea out of the competition last season.

While Levski Sofia ought not to hold many terrors, Chelsea's form has been scratchy. Mourinho complains that he has been unable to work on the new partnership of Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard because international commitments have kept them from the training ground.

The marginally misfiring nature of Chelsea's displays has been typified by lapses in Lampard's form. His failure with a penalty in Saturday's win over Charlton was his third miss in four attempts from the spot for club and country. Mourinho wants him to keep taking them but gave the midfielder the chance to opt out if he wishes by saying that the duty could go to Shevchenko or Ballack if the players decide that in the course of a game.

Mourinho suggests that Bremen are the best of the tier of third seeds in the group phase, despite the fact that they were knocked out of the German Cup by third division side Pirmasens.

There is more than that to concern the coach Thomas Schaaf. While Joe Cole is back training after a knee problem and only Arjen Robben is ruled out of Chelsea's squad, injury deprives Bremen of the centre half Per Mertesacker and their goalkeeper Tim Wiese, who has bronchitis, must be replaced by the 37-year-old Andreas Reinke. A thigh strain makes Miroslav Klose a doubt.

• Guardian Service

Chelsea v Werder Bremen

Stamford Bridge

Kick-off - 7.45pm

On TV - Setanta Sports