Football-Sportclub: Jose Mourinho targets Champions League lift for Chelsea

Jose Mourinho hopes Chelsea's frenetic fixture list will assist an upturn in fortunes, beginning with a Champions League trip to Ukraine.

Chelsea play six games in 19 days, with Tuesday's Dynamo Kiev clash followed by Premier League games with West Ham, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Stoke, who also provide the opposition in the Capital One Cup, and the return with the Ukrainians.

Mourinho visited the NSK Olimpiyskyi, which will host Tuesday's match, during the international break to watch his Spain players and scout Dynamo's internationals, as well as reported transfer target Andriy Yarmolenko.

His view is that his players are all in a rut, which they can climb out of by playing regularly.

"No player was better in the national team than they are with us," Mourinho said.

"So it's not the habitat that is making them play better or worse. In this moment they are what they are and they are in the situation that they are, which gives me total confidence that we'll be here, we have to improve them, they have to improve and they have to go back to their normality.

"Now we have almost one month together, a great month. Now it's non-stop every two days, every three days. I think it's a very good period."

Mourinho is looking to find equilibrium in results after a challenging start to the season, which included defeat at Porto in the last Group G game, a result which means Chelsea must perform well in the Dynamo double-header.

"Obviously you don't need to lose and lose and lose, because then psychological issues are coming into the game," he added.

"In normal conditions, getting normal results – I'm not even saying win, win, win, win - but getting normal results. Wins, draws, the odd defeat, then it's a great month."