Ranieri eyes Champions League seeding

Claudio Ranieri will remind his players of the importance of avoiding defeat in Chelsea’s final Group G Champions League clash against Besiktas in Germany on Tuesday night.

The Blues have already booked their place in the last 16, but they must not lose to the Turks if they are to go through as group winners and therefore be seeded for the knockout phase.

“We have achieved qualification but now it is important to get a point against Besiktas and win the group,” said Chelsea boss Ranieri. “If they win then they will top the group, so our philosophy must be to try and win against Besiktas.

“It is important to win the group and be seeded because then it means you will play a team who finished second in another group – although I can’t tell you if that will ultimately prove to be a good thing until I see the draw.”

The match against the Turks has been moved to a neutral venue following recent terrorist attacks in Istanbul.

The ground selected is the home of Schalke 04 and is the stadium which will also host the Champions League final in May, so Chelsea will be hoping this will not be their only visit to Gelsenkirchen this season.

Ranieri added: “It is a relief, but I am sure it will be full of Turkish people and there will be a good atmosphere and a good game. The Champions League is tough.”

Chelsea will be disappointed if they fail to win Group G. They opened their campaign with a victory at Sparta Prague but came back down to earth when they lost at home to Besiktas.

The key to their success was the double header against Lazio, as they beat the Italians both home and away – including a 4-0 triumph in Rome which has been the result of the campaign.

The Blues would have clinched the group winner’s spot had they beaten Sparta in the return at Stamford Bridge last month, but they were held to a goalless draw.

That means they cannot relax too much as they need a point in Germany to go through as winners, although as Ranieri pointed out there is no guarantee they will avoid a big club in the next phase.