Chelsea still have much to prove: Scolari

A win will take Chelsea through to the last 16 if second-placed CFR Cluj defeat Girondins Bordeaux in Romania.

Asked if his free-scoring side were better than the team predecessor Avram Grant led to the Champions League final last season, Scolari replied: “Not yet, no.

“We have played well but we … need to arrive in more finals and win more finals and maybe after this it is possible to say we are better.”

Scolari said Chelsea had plenty of room for improvement especially when injured defenders Ashley Cole (calf) and Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring) and midfielders Michael Ballack (feet) and Michael Essien (knee) regained fitness.

“Every day in training we try to do something more than before,” said the Brazilian coach. “In the future I’ll have more options when I receive the players who are outside (the team) at the moment.

“Now I am not happy because I don’t have all the players at my disposal. When I have these players it will be very good for me.”

Totti Doubt

Scolari said it would benefit Chelsea if Roma captain Francesco Totti failed to recover from a knee problem in time for the match.

“Totti is a fantastic player,” he said. “When a coach loses a player like Totti, it’s good for the opposing team.”

Roma have lost their last five games including the 1-0 defeat they suffered at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago.

The Italians are level on three points with Bordeaux, one fewer than Cluj. Scolari said he was confident there would be no repeat of the trouble that marred Manchester United’s visits to Rome in the last two seasons.

“I don’t think we’ll have problems with our fans because the people in Rome are civilised,” he said. “They know it’s football. This is one game, not a war.”