The league and cup double that is in Chelsea sights would make club history and also personal history for our manager.
Carlo Ancelotti won the Champions League and the Italian Cup during his eight years at AC Milan, in 2003 to be precise, but never the Serie A title and the Cup in the same season. However if Chelsea maintain recent form then the English equivalent is a possibility. We would take a place alongside six clubs who have recorded the feat.
'Our aim after the defeat against Inter was this, to win the Double,' Ancelotti says as he faces games in the FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League in the next five days.
'We are very close but nothing is decided. Every game will be very difficult because we are at the end of the season and every team has an aim to reach.'
Unlike some of our rivals, Ancelotti is looking at an improving injury picture for the run-in.
Branislav Ivanovic trained on Thursday and could feature on the substitutes' bench for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Ancelotti is planning an unchanged defence and midfield against Aston Villa but has decisions to make over the goalkeeper and his three-man attack.
Hilario started the previous four FA Cup games but has been affected by a groin problem this week. He will be assessed on Saturday. Didier Drogba will start but who out of Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda plays out wide is not yet known.
Looking further ahead, Ancelotti reports:
'Ashley Cole needs some more days training but we hope he can play in the game against Stoke on 25th April. He is doing very well and so is Michael Essien. Maybe he will be one week later with respect to Cole.'
With the 7-1 home league win over Saturday's opponents still fresh in the mind, one of the Italian's main tasks this week is not so much building confidence as keeping feet firmly on the ground.
'Aston Villa want to have a good reaction to that defeat. They played well and won at Bolton last weekend,' he warns.
'Martin O'Neill is a very good psychologist and a very good coach and they will play differently.
'They have players with experience and strength and it is the semi-final of an important competition. We must forget that last game, we played very well but Saturday will be different. We have to play a strong match against a strong team.'
Carlo Ancelotti won the Champions League and the Italian Cup during his eight years at AC Milan, in 2003 to be precise, but never the Serie A title and the Cup in the same season. However if Chelsea maintain recent form then the English equivalent is a possibility. We would take a place alongside six clubs who have recorded the feat.
'Our aim after the defeat against Inter was this, to win the Double,' Ancelotti says as he faces games in the FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League in the next five days.
'We are very close but nothing is decided. Every game will be very difficult because we are at the end of the season and every team has an aim to reach.'
Unlike some of our rivals, Ancelotti is looking at an improving injury picture for the run-in.
Branislav Ivanovic trained on Thursday and could feature on the substitutes' bench for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Ancelotti is planning an unchanged defence and midfield against Aston Villa but has decisions to make over the goalkeeper and his three-man attack.
Hilario started the previous four FA Cup games but has been affected by a groin problem this week. He will be assessed on Saturday. Didier Drogba will start but who out of Joe Cole, Nicolas Anelka, Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda plays out wide is not yet known.
Looking further ahead, Ancelotti reports:
'Ashley Cole needs some more days training but we hope he can play in the game against Stoke on 25th April. He is doing very well and so is Michael Essien. Maybe he will be one week later with respect to Cole.'
With the 7-1 home league win over Saturday's opponents still fresh in the mind, one of the Italian's main tasks this week is not so much building confidence as keeping feet firmly on the ground.
'Aston Villa want to have a good reaction to that defeat. They played well and won at Bolton last weekend,' he warns.
'Martin O'Neill is a very good psychologist and a very good coach and they will play differently.
'They have players with experience and strength and it is the semi-final of an important competition. We must forget that last game, we played very well but Saturday will be different. We have to play a strong match against a strong team.'
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