LONDON — Written off as too old and accused of hastening the downfall of Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea’s old guard have flourished under stand-in manager Roberto Di Matteo and will relish trying to halt Barcelona’s bandwagon tomorrow.
Chelsea reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for a sixth time after a thrilling second leg comeback to knock out Napoli, playing with more freedom and confidence since Italian Di Matteo replaced the sacked Villas-Boas in early March.
Holders Barcelona represent formidable opponents, but the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry will walk out at Stamford Bridge for the first leg with no trepidation and fuelled with a desire to avenge a bitter semi-final defeat in 2009.
The teams have met four times in the knockout phase of the tournament with Barça prevailing three times, most notably three years ago when Chelsea were on the brink of reaching the final before Andres Iniesta’s stunning stoppage time strike broke their hearts and sent Drogba apoplectic with rage.
Drogba warmed up for another meeting with Barça with a spectacular goal in the 5-1 FA Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, while Lampard scored a sensational free-kick and Terry produced some defensive heroics.
All three have been instrumental in the club’s upturn in fortune since Villas-Boas left.
Di Matteo is holding the fort while owner Roman Abramovich decides on a new general, with Barça’s Pep Guardiola one of the names mentioned, but the Italian appears to have unified a fractured dressing room — crucially getting the best out of the club’s old warriors.
Probable teams: Chelsea: 1-Petr Cech; 2-Branislav Ivanovic, 26-John Terry, 24-Gary Cahill, 10-Juan Mata, 5-Michael Essien, 7-Ramires, 8-Frank Lampard, 21-Salomon Kalou; 11-Didier Drogba. Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 2-Dani Alves, 3-Gerard Pique, 14-Javier Mascherano, 5-Carlos Puyol; 15-Seydou Keita, 6-Xavi Hernandez, 16-Sergio Busquets; 9-Alexis Sanchez, 10-Lionel Messi, 8-Andres Iniesta. —Reuters
