Curbishley an addick for Champions League

Alan Curbishley finally broke free from his charismatic caution today and shifted Charlton onto a Champions League footing.

The Addicks boss knows the damage Scott Parker’s defection to Chelsea has done to Charlton’s dream of bringing Europe’s elite club competition to The Valley.

Charlton had gone seven league games unbeaten before Parker’s move across London – but Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat against Bolton knocked the wind out of their sails.

And Curbishley, acutely aware of the psychological damage which would be caused by a second successive defeat when his side face Parker’s new Chelsea team-mate on Sunday, has markedly revamped his goal for the season.

Curbishley, who has been targeting a top eight finish until today, steered his side into fourth before Christmas and they have occupied that place on and off since.

So, on the eve of the clash with Claudio Ranieri’s big spenders, he issued a rallying cry.

“We’re fourth at the moment and there’s a third of the season left,” he said.

“We know the Premiership’s tough but this is a great opportunity to finish higher than we’ve ever done before.

“That was ninth in our first year back in the top division, and I think we can do better than that. That’s our aim.

“I want to finish fourth – and if not fifth, if not sixth.”

As for Parker, who is dominating the build-up to Sunday’s fixture, Curbishley insists he will shake hands with the 23-year-old midfielder if their paths cross.

The midfielder is banned from the fixture due to a clause in his controversial transfer – but expected to be present at the home of his new club.

Asked if he would offer his hand to Parker, Curbishley said: “Yes, I will.

“We’ve got a good relationship with Chelsea as shown with Carlton Cole’s loan to us.

“So this isn’t a grudge match. We weren’t happy with Chelsea when Scott left.

“The transfer was very difficult and something I’ve never had to deal with before. But Scott’s gone now and we’ve got to get on with it.”

Last season’s fixture between the London rivals at Stanford Bridge, in January 2003, sparked enormous controversy when Chelsea scraped the topsoil off their pitch in preparation for it being relaid – and played at Charlton on it.

The Addicks demanded a rematch – a request snubbed by the Premier League, although the Blues were handed a small fine as a penalty for not informing their opponents about the alteration to the surface.

Chelsea have moved to head off any potential controversy this time round, by relaying the pitch ahead of a showdown with Charlton.

Curbishley said: “I saw the pitch at the Birmingham game and it looked as if it needed relaying.

“They’ve let us know about it this time and we’ve had an opportunity to look. So I don’t think we’ll be surprised, as we were last year, when we get there on Sunday.”

Charlton’s 4-2 victory against Chelsea at the Valley on St Stephen's Day, have won five of their last seven encounters with the team from across the capital.

“It was a fantastic result at Christmas and we’ve got a good result against Chelsea,” Curbishley added.

Cole is out of the game due to a clause in his temporary switch to the Addicks.

Fellow forward Shaun Bartlett is back from his ankle injury and winger Jerome Thomas could come off the bench for his debut after his move from Arsenal on Monday.