Ancelotti keen to avoid trio
Carlo Ancelotti wants to avoid both Milan teams and Bayern Munich in Friday's Champions League draw.
The Chelsea coach believes Inter Milan and Bayern Munich represent the strongest threat to Chelsea's progress in the competition while going back to former club AC Milan would be an emotional moment for him.
"The best teams in the group we could play, the most dangerous teams, are Inter Milan and Bayern Munich. I prefer to avoid AC Milan for personal reasons and also the other two teams I prefer to avoid because they are strong. But if you want to win the Champions League you have to accept the draw," said Ancelotti.
Milan provided Chelsea with their first ever Champions League group stage opposition a decade ago, before Ancelotti was in charge, and although the Blues have played Inter in pre-season friendlies, Jose Mourinho's side have not met them in a competitive fixture.
Greek side Olympiacos were opponents at this stage of the tournament when Chelsea progressed to the final in Moscow two seasons ago - drawing 0-0 in Athens and winning 3-0 in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
A tie against Bayern will give midfielder Michael Ballack the chance to return to the club where won the German league and cup double on three occasions.
Chelsea, under Mourinho, knocked the German giants out in the quarter-finals in 2004/05 season. That, however, was in the old Olympia stadium. Bayern have since moved to the futuristic Allianz Arena.
CSKA Moscow, the former home of Chelsea midfielder Yury Zhirkov, were beaten twice in the group stage in 2004/05, the same season Bayern Munich were defeated.
They are playing their Champions League matches in the Luzhniki Stadium, so Chelsea could return to the scene of their penalty shoot-out defeat by United in 2008.
For the first time the matches in the opening knockout round will be spread over four weeks, with half the first-leg ties on February 16/17 and the other half on February 23/24. Four of the second-leg ties are on March 9/10 with the remaining ones on March 16/17.
