Free Kick: Terry's return to form is crucial for Chelsea

Can Chelsea this evening become the third English team to qualify for the quarterfinals of the European Cup?

Arsenal and Manchester United, as we know, are home and dry, but Chelsea must reverse the 2-1 result they suffered against Inter in Milan.

Could the game turn on the prowess of the respective goalkeepers?

Where Inter have a major star, commanding and agile, in the Brazilian, Cesar, Chelsea must rely on third-choice keeper Ross Turnbull.

Petr Cech, who suddenly went down injured in the San Siro, surely won't be fit, nor will the somewhat erratic Portuguese, Henrique Hilario.

Not that Saturday's easy 4-1 conquest of fellow Londoners West Ham at The Bridge, exposed Turnbull to much of a test.

The goal that beat him was a ferocious volley from Scott Parker, so he was hardly at fault.

Inter could be a good deal more troublesome.

They should, in fact, have scored an extra goal at the San Siro when Samuel Eto'o miss-kicked horribly in front of goal.

Against that, Salomon Kalou should certainly have had a penalty late in the first half, though he did go on to score later.

What could make a large difference is the belated return to from of John Terry at the centre of defence.

Vulnerability

It was his vulnerability which allowed Inter's Argentine striker Diego Milito to turn away from him and score.

Missing from the Blues will be two crucial players in Ghanaian midfielder, Michael Essien, and the attacking England left back Ashley Cole.

However on the plus side, Florent Malouda, the French international left winger who is equally happy when attacking from central midfield, has been in fine from of late.

West Ham could do little with him and he scored once and laid two on.

Arsenal and Manchester United, meanwhile, simply sailed through their home return fixtures last week.

All the propaganda about the enormously effective and comprehensive medical facilities at Milanello went by the bye at Old Trafford, when Milan looked like an ageing, waning side, who could do nothing with the rampant Wayne Rooney.

As for the Gunners, they duly and comprehensively wiped out Porto's 2-1 advantage at The Emirates, with the big, young and somewhat bombastic Dane, Nicklas Bendtner, atoning for a series of ghastly misses against Burnley three days earlier with a hat-trick.

A pretty convincing victory, without the team's talisman, the injured Cesc Fabregas, was elevated by wonderful solo bursts from two gifted little men in Russia's Andre Arshavin and France's Samir Nasri, who danced gloriously past three men before shooting in off the far post. However, there was a period early in the second half when the team somewhat lost the plot.

Porto came strongly into the game and Nasri actually cleared off the line after his keeper Manuel Almunia was well beaten.

(The author is a soccer expert based in England)