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Ancelotti stands up for star duo Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended Petr Cech and Frank Lampard ahead of the final Champions League group game against Apoel Nicosia.

After two defeats and three penalty misses inside four days last week, it was somewhat predictable the focus would be on certain individuals.

Cech was blamed for allowing Carlos Tevez to score Manchester City's winner from a 25-yard free-kick in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.

Lampard was then guilty of his first penalty miss since September 2006 when Shay Given saved his 83rd-minute attempt.

That followed spot-kick blunders by Michael Ballack and Gael Kakuta in a penalty shoot-out defeat by Blackburn in the Carling Cup quarter-final last Wednesday.

But Cech and Lampard are likely to figure in the Group D encounter at Stamford Bridge and Ancelotti declared he has no concerns about either player's form.

"This season, I think Cech did very well," said Ancelotti. "I like him. He takes the responsibility and likes to come out and catch the ball in the box.

"He could do better if you ask me about the free-kick on Saturday. I think the goalkeeper has to stay on his post and, if the player puts the ball over the wall and in, we have to congratulate him.

"Even a good goalkeeper can make a mistake sometimes but this season Petr has been doing very well.

"I can say that, at our training ground, Lampard is the player who practices penalties more than any other player. It's a psychological problem to shoot a penalty. When Lampard shoots a penalty, Cech tries to save it.

"I think that we did very well in the last games. In the last game against Manchester City we conceded a goal on the free-kick but set-pieces are different.

"We don't have to mark people on a free-kick. We have to put up a wall. That's not a problem like set-pieces. It was different to the last league game we lost against Aston Villa.

"That was two corner kicks, they scored twice. The situation has changed since that match. Set-pieces and free-kicks, they are different." Chelsea have already won the group and so there is a temptation for Ancelotti to rest some players against the Cypriots.

Captain John Terry, carrying a knee injury from the City defeat, is likely to miss out even though the problem is responding well to treatment.

Ancelotti also has doubts over Ballack and Ashley Cole. Cole is still suffering from an ankle problem while the Germany captain has a knee complaint.

Kakuta is almost certain to make his first start for the club while Ancelotti will also call upon youngsters Daniel Philliskirk and Nikki Ahamed.

"I think John Terry will be able to play but I have to control the next training session," added the Italian.

"I want to put the best team out. But the most important thing is to monitor the players, to check whether they're able to play.

"We had some problems with Terry, Ballack and Ashley, and I want to look at them before I name my squad. I think we can use some young players if Ballack, Ashley and Terry are not able to play.

"We have two aims. One is to maintain a good position in our group - we've done very well, won four games out of five, and we want to finish this group with a good performance.

"We have a home record we want to improve and, also, we have to have respect for the other teams because Apoel and Atletico Madrid are still competing for third place, an important place for them. We want to do the best." APOEL coach Ivan Jovanovic believes their Champions League participation has motivated them to repeat the experience next season.

Jovanovic's side are currently top of the Cypriot league having gone nine games unbeaten.

But they are bottom of Group D without a win to their name. The Cypriots have managed creditable draws with Atletico Madrid but a Nicolas Anelka goal gave Chelsea all three points in their earlier encounter in Nicosia.

Chelsea have already won the group and Jovanovic sees tomorrow's encounter as another step towards gaining more valuable experience in Europe's top competition.

"Chelsea are the best team in this group," said Jovanovic. "They are certainly one of the teams capable of winning the tournament.

"We will try our best as we have done in every game we have played this season.

"My team has exceeded itself. We will try and do the same and hope for the best possible result. Our progress in the last six months is what we will take out of this Champions League experience.

Chelsea vs Apoel Nicosia

Last modified 17:12 11/12/09

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When it keeps on happening, it is a pattern, not a blip.

And while Chelsea’s latest stumble was not damaging in itself, Carlo Ancelotti’s reaction suggested he is losing more than just a bit of patience.

Ancelotti had blamed the lack of urgency in his midfield for the defeat at Manchester City on Saturday but the end of the club’s 12-match winning run on home soil saw the Italian sending off the fireworks in all directions.

The Italian was seething after John Obi Mikel’s needless blunder to let in Nenad Mirosavljevic saw the Blues pay the price for not showing a clinical edge in front of goal even after Didier Drogba’s superb strike.

Even though Ancelotti does not accept his players have gone on cruise control since they won at Arsenal to look like champions in waiting, he will not allow it to happen again.

Chelsea had recovered from conceding a poor opener, the first they had conceded on home soil since the opening day of the season, to take control, only to throw it away at the death.

Ancelotti said: “The first goal can happen. But the second goal, no, it should not.

“The second goal was the consequence of our play. We played too softly.

“We had the possibility to close the game out but we didn’t take it and didn’t play well. When you do that, it is normal to only draw.

“It is not because the Arsenal game has gone to our heads. We have to look only at this game. This game we did well in the first half but poorly in the second.

“Arsenal was in the past. Also Manchester City, in the past. But I think it’s psychological. It’s a psychological thing. 

“I see every day the players training very well and I think that it’s only a psychological thing for this evening. Tomorrow will be different.”

It will have to be, or the season which promised so much could start to go downhill quickly, especially with the African Nations Cup looming.

Ancelotti’s unhappiness, intensified by the hamstring injury that forced Michael Essien off within minutes of his 25-yard swerver, was justifiable as fortress Stamford Bridge was breached inside six minutes.

Chelsea had not conceded at home in 16 hours and eight minutes since Stephen Hunt netted for Hull on August 21 but you would not have known that as Juliano Belletti was caught out of position by Constantinos Charalambides.

The winger rolled across for Polish striker Marcin Zewlakow to give Ross Turnbull an unhappy start to his full debut for the Blues, sliding home as John Terry appealed for offside.

Chelsea, who had scored 30 home goals without reply since that Hunt strike, responded in the right manner, as Gael Kakuta, also making his first start, showed why Ancelotti rates him the best teenager he has ever seen.

Joe Cole was fractionally offside when he converted Florent Malouda’s superb cross but six minutes later Essien sidestepped a half-tackle to thrash a belter into the Cypriot net.

Essien did not last long, injured making a tackle on half-way and definitely out of Saturday’s game with Everton but before Frank Lampard could come on, the 10 men were in front.

Kakuta, whose vision stood out,  played a great pass to Yuri Zhirkov, who made the most of it before pulling back for Drogba to supply a sumptuous finish, his 16th if the season already.

Ancelotti said: “Kakuta was the one good thing for us, the only one who played well.

“He showed his talent. He did a fantastic job for the second goal.

“We have to look at him and stay calm but I think he will be the future of Chelsea.”

High praise indeed on an evening when Ancelotti was decidedly downcast.

The Italian knew this one should have been won easily, although the flag calls that went against Cole and then skipper John Terry seconds before Mikel boobed, were both spot-on.

In between, Cole lost control after a beautiful Kakuta pass, Lampard shot inches wide and Drogba was equally close with a free-kick that looked a goal all the way until it passed the upright.

While APOEL never gave up, they should have been put away, Italian youngster Fabio Borini, on for Kakuta, coming closest after intricate play by Cole.

But the careless misses cost points as Mirosavljevic pounced - and Ancelotti prepared his heated inquest.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Turnbull 6; Belletti 5, Carvalho 6, Terry 7, Zhirkov 7; Essien 7 (Lampard, 26, 7), Mikel 6; J Cole 7, Kakuta 7 (Borini, 73, 6), Malouda 7; Drogba 8

APOEL (4-4-1-1): Chiotis 6; Poursaitides 5, Broerse 5, Paulo Jorge 6, Haxhi 5 (Elia, 34); Kosowski 6 (Mirosavljevic, 70, 6), Michail 6, Nuno Morais 4, Charalambides 7; Pinto 6; Zewlakow 6 (Breska, 83, 5)

Referee: Matteo Trefoloni (Italy)

Hero: Drogba - virtually unplayable at the moment and will light up the World Cup in this form

Villain: Mikel - shocking mistake cost his side dear

Anorak: Chelsea’s unbeaten home European run now stands at 21 matches, including 16 wins, since they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in February 2006