Score first and leave the rest to Lampard

"For me, Lampard will be a key figure. Chelsea have signed a lot of big reputation foreign players but Lampard has been outstanding this season.

"He has all the qualities you need in a midfield player but the thing that sets him apart is his brain. He's a clever player. He thinks about what he's doing and what's happening around him.

"I believe Chelsea can get to the final and win it. It will be a difficult task for them but they have the players and the experience to do it."

The 42-year-old former Dutch captain urges an element of caution because he considers Monaco a talented, well-balanced team.

"I saw them beat PSV in Eindhoven back in September," said Gullit. "I was impressed with Fernando Morientes. He's a great player, technically accomplished, good in the air and scored their first goal that night. He'll be the man Chelsea must watch.

"I remember from my own days with Chelsea that playing at Stamford Bridge can be a huge advantage.

"If the crowd get behind the team they have a great chance of going through.

"But they must ensure they don't concede a goal. That would really leave them with an uphill climb. Claudio Ranieri has to get his tactics right because the onus is on them to score twice, but they can't afford to concede any more goals.

"I'm not underestimating the challenge for Chelsea. It's going to be a tough game for them but they have the experience for it now."

Gullit joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Sampdoria in June 1995, eventually becoming player-manager. Three years later he was sacked by former chairman Ken Bates and replaced by Gianluca Vialli after Chelsea won the FA Cup.

"I learned a lot about management in my time at Chelsea," he said. "It's when I realised that nothing is secure or guaranteed about a life in football. But I have many happy memories of my time in London and still have lots of friends who I visit often."

Gullit feels sympathy for Claudio Ranieri, who has spent the entire season wondering whether he would be replaced as Chelsea manager by

"I think that situation is a little odd," he said. "To an outsider like me it seems that he's known from the beginning of the season that he doesn't have much of a future at the club. It must be difficult to work like that.

"He's still there and could finish up in the European Cup Final. I think he's done remarkably well because, human nature being what it is, some players might have wanted to take advantage of the fact that he was not in charge for the long term. Some might have tried to ease up a little but he seems to have got the best out of them. It's a strange situation for the players as well as the manager."

Gullit spent a year in charge at Newcastle after leaving Stamford Bridge but has had no full-time involvement in football since 1999. He's devoted much of his time since then to charity work and a highly successful Dutch TV show in which he toured the world interviewing big names - Nelson Mandela, David Beckham etc - in the Ruby Wax style. His wife, Estelle, the niece of Johann Cruyff, is a famous TV fashion guru.

But in July he's returning to football full time as coach of Feyenoord where as a youngster he played with Cruyff. "I love the game and I've missed it," he said. "I've been coaching the Dutch Under-19 team but I wanted to get back into club football."

Sven-Goran Eriksson.