Monaco and Chelsea kick-off the semi-finals off the Champions League today with the competition wide open and both coaches declaring there are no favourites.

"There are four surprises in this competition so we all have a 25 per cent chance," Chelsea's Italian coach Claudio Ranieri said before final training.

Newspapers have installed the wealthy London side as favourites since they beat runaway premier league leaders Arsenal in the last round but Ranieri said: "If Monaco won against Real Madrid, Porto have won against Manchester United and Deportivo beat Milan, the champions, then why are we favourites?"

His Monaco counterpart Didier Deschamps, whose side shocked Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, said without the European heavyweights all four teams believed they could win.

"Their elimination leaves the door a little ajar for any of the four teams to qualify for the final," he said.

The golden opportunity for the outsiders to reach the summit of European soccer creates its own pressures, however.

Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly, winner with Marseille and AC Milan, has been trying to impress upon his team mates that they must not let the chance slip.

"I've been telling the guys how wonderful it is to hold that trophy. It's something beautiful. Everybody knows it's the best competition in football.

"It's very important for Chelsea as we've never got this far before. We have to be really serious. We must not give away this opportunity," the France captain added.

Deportiva Coruna and Porto meet for their first leg on Wednesday with second legs played on May 4 and 5.