Frank Lampard has been giving his thoughts on the weekend's two big Chelsea talking points - the Champions League draw and the approaching visit to Everton.
Our star midfield was a guest for 90 minutes on Chelsea TV's Friday night phone-in and was ideally suited to react to the news that the team will face Serie A giants Juventus over two legs next year.
Current Juve manager Claudio Ranieri was the man who signed Lampard for Chelsea back in 2001 and the two worked together for three seasons. Ranieri is now in his second year in Turin, his team standing second in Serie A behind José Mourinho's Inter. They finished top of their Champions League group having beaten Real Madrid home and away.
'It was a mixed reaction,' Lampard told Chelsea TV viewers on how the squad received the news of the knockout stage draw.
'It could have been better, it could have been worse. It is always hard to tell because these games are two months away. Our form at the moment could be better, particularly at home, but in two months' time everything could have changed.
'It will be great to have Claudio back,' he added. 'He still has a lot of respect from the players who played under him and the fans have a lot of respect also I think. I am pleased he is doing well at Juventus.
'He is a good coach. He taught me a lot about looking after my body and working on my power.
'At West Ham I used to run forward willy-nilly trying to score goals and make things happen in the box but it had probably become predictable to an extent. To play in Chelsea's passing game, I needed to learn about when to go forward and when to get on the ball in midfield.
'It must be an Italian way, they don't particularly bomb forward all the time. They are quite positional and then they arrive - and that helped me.
'As a team [under Ranieri], everyone harks back to him changing the team too much. His style now is he doesn't change the team so much.'
It may be two months before the Champions League resumes but in two days' time comes Chelsea's next big challenge, which is to collect three points at Goodison Park to send us into Christmas with spirits high.
If form is anything to go by, with Chelsea perfect on the road in the Barclays Premier League and Everton having lost four and drawn three of their eight home games, the visiting side must be favourites. Recent history is promising too with Chelsea unbeaten in our last nine Goodison games, six of them victories.
'I have scored a few goals up there and we have had some good performances up there,' said Lampard who found the net in three of the last five visits.
'It is a big game. Pre-Christmas, a Monday night, Everton are going to be having a go, even though their home form isn't great.'
David Moyes's side have not been helped in recent weeks by a rotten run of injuries to strikers. In their last outing midfielder Tim Cahill was played as lone front man although Everton are reporting that Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe are 'very close' to being fit.
The two forwards will have fitness tests before Monday's game but Yakubu and James Vaughan are definitely out.
'It will be a tough game because they are a physical side,' observed Lampard. 'Cahill is back in the team and he can score goals, particularly with his head. He has always got that in him.'
Chelsea TV will be building up to the Everton game from 6pm on Monday in Matchnight Live. Re-join the team at 10pm for post-match reaction and a live fans' phone in.
