Chelsea’s Didier Drogba reacts after missing a chance against Olympiakos in Athens on Tuesday. (Reuters)

Avram Grant, the Chelsea manager, will have to wait to discover, both in the Carling Cup at Wembley on Sunday and at Stamford Bridge in a fortnight, whether his gamble to rest key players here on Tuesday was a prudent one. But, having kept their fifth successive clean sheet in Europe and with an unbeaten home record in the Champions League going back two years, they will face Olympiakos in London in confident mood.

As anticipated, Grant rested John Terry, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka ahead of the Carling Cup final, meaning that he changed the whole team from the one that beat Huddersfield 3-1 in the FA Cup last Saturday.

The 11 changes allowed the likes of Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole and Michael Ballack to return, along with Didier Drogba, who was making his first start since undergoing knee surgery in early December.

The watching Roman Abramovich has not made a secret of his demand for success in the Champions League and, by leaving such an array of talent on the side, he was placing huge faith in those who carried Chelsea’s trophy aspirations forward during periods of injuries.

Claude Makelele wore the captain's armband as Chelsea went into the game boasting the best defensive record in the competition. They had conceded only two goals, while they began having gone seven hours and 21 minutes since they last conceded a goal in the event.

The atmosphere that greeted the teams in the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium was electric, the arena an array of red and white, with flares lighting up the wintery evening.

As smoke drifted across the pitch, making visibility difficult, Chelsea, in their highly visible luminous yellow shirts, attacked and within 29 seconds Michael Essien forced the first attempt, his shot drifting wide of the right post. Olympiakos responded when Predrag Djordjevic fed Ieroklis Stoltidis, but he treated the ball with caution and Ricardo Carvalho cleared the threat.

Soon afterwards the Greeks broke forward and Anastasios Pantos saw a shot deflected wide off a team-mate, but it was all one way, with Florent Malouda testing Antonios Nikopolidis, the Olympiakos goalkeeper, with a searching 16th-minute shot.

A tight but entertaining game developed with Chelsea initially having the edge but Olympiakos finishing the first half the stronger. And when Drogba lost possession by the Olympiakos by-line, the Greeks broke delicately and carefully, before forcing a corner, from which Stoltidis set-up Vassilis Torosidis and he almost opened the scoring.

Alex, the replacement for Terry, was booked for a 35th-minute foul on Cristian Ledesma but the Brazilian redeemed himself by cutting out a dangerous cross from Djordjevic. The goalless first half saw Chelsea extend their record in Europe to more than eight hours without conceding and they began the second period with Ballack forcing a corner, from which Malouda sent a drive over the target.

Olympiakos, though, remained a threat through their sensible, neat passing game, and when Stoltidis crossed in the 51st minute, Luciano Galletti had a chance but failed to make contact.

Chelsea boasted the best disciplinary record in the competition before the game with only three previous cautions but Juliano Belletti was the second yellow shirt to see a yellow card, and from the resultant free-kick, Djordjevic claimed Olympiakos's first shot on target, in the 57th minute, with Cech gathering easily in front of his right post.

Whether it was a sign of frustration or one of encouragement, the flares were re-ignited midway through the second half. Chelsea began to enjoy greater possession, but they received a third card when Makelele was punished for dissent. And, in the 65th minute, Stoltidis's high cross set up Galletti and his volley flew only narrowly over Cech's goal.

The introduction of Anelka saw the Frenchman partner Drogba for the first time, and the substitute, who prompted a strong finish by the visitors, squandered the chance of a goal with 10 minutes remaining, his weak shot rolling wide of the left post.