Two weeks ago Chelsea had to confront their demons at the Luziniki Stadium in Moscow, as it was there that they suffered a heartbreaking loss in the 2008 Champions League final to Manchester United.
But their return to Russia was nothing like the previous game, as they went, they saw, and they conquered, with Yury Zhirkov and Nicolas Anelka scoring the goals to register an important 2-0 victory.
Now with the return of Didier Drogba, who is expected to make his first appearance in this edition of the competition on Wednesday night, the Blues’ attack looks all the more daunting. This makes it particularly more so, as Anelka has already taken his tally to four goals in the tournament.
Add to this the fact that the game takes place at Stamford Bridge, and the odds rest firmly in favour of Carlo Ancelotti’s charges raking in the points.
This is far from a must-win game for the Blues, who are currently cruising atop Group F with nine points and a 100 per cent record to boast about. But the primary aim will be to continue their strong run and finish as group winners to minimise the prospect of being pitted against a top European club in the first knockout round.
Karpin Calls For Fearless Display
Spartak are unbeaten since falling to a defeat at the hands of Ancelotti’s charges two weeks ago. At the time they had two victories in the group stage, and were being billed as relatively strong opponents, in light of home advantage, an artificial pitch, and the Luziniki being a stadium that the Londoners were dreading.
But they succumbed to a defeat, and manager Valeri Karpin believes that his charges were overwhelmed by their opponents on the day. He has now called on his players to go out and play without fear of their opponents at Stamford Bridge.
He said: "We were too scared of our opponents, we had given them too much respect, but if we play them like we did in the second half in Luzhniki and like we played Zenit in the second half, then we have a chance."
But realistically speaking, Spartak are playing for second place in the group barring a major surprise in London on Wednesday.
TEAM NEWS
Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that midfielder Frank Lampard (groin) is out of contention for this fixture. Ramires (ankle) was sidelined during the recent victory over Blackburn Rovers, and remains a doubt for this game. Yossi Benayoun (ankle) is a long-term absentee.But the Blues finally have Didier Drogba back in the European ring after suspension and injury kept the Ivorian out of the continental competition until now. Brazilian defender Alex could also feature, having missed the trip to Moscow a fortnight ago.
Possible starting XI: Cech; Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Cole; Essien, Mikel, Zhirkov; Anelka, Drogba, Malouda.
Spartak Moscow
The Russian side have been dealt a heavy handed blow, as influential striker Ari (thigh) has been ruled out of the encounter after picking up an injury in a recent game against Zenit St. Petersburg. Another blow to the Meat's preparations is the exclusion of Sergei Parshivlyuk in the 21-man squad set to travel today.Valery Karpin showed faith in the club's youth system during their 2-1 victory over Rostov at the weekend by handing a debut to 18-year old Anton Khodyrev at left-back and it would be no suprise to see him continue against Chelsea.
Good news for Krasnye Belye is that captain Alex has made the squad, whether he will be risked is another question for the coach.
Possible starting XI: Dikan; Makeev, Pareja, Suchy, Khodyrev; Sheshukov; McGeady, Ibson, Kombarov, Zotov; Welliton.
Prediction
Spartak are certainly the strong underdogs for this encounter, while Chelsea are traditionally strong at Stamford Bridge. Anything other than a victory for the home side will be a surprise.
Chelsea 3-0 Spartak 
