Strike

you're preaching to the choir, mate

this is it. the calm before the storm. good luck chelsea. you'll need it

once the game starts, i think all this optimism will be driven right out of us. i hope we ride our luck in crucial moments because otherwise, this could turn out to be a drubbing

this night is a culmination of the events that have transpired in the last month, in the whole season. this is show time for chelsea. i don't care if it's barca or the freaking World-XI we are gonna fight

Oh Steve, What would we do without you

CHELSEA V BARCELONA – UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMIFINALS PREVIEW The fires of injustice from that night 3 years ago, when Andres Iniesta struck in stoppage time, are raging again as Chelsea get ready to face Barcelona in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona have dominated world football over the last few years, beating the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Real Madrid comprehensively but they cannot say the same about Chelsea. In the 8 times, Chelsea have faced Barcelona since 2005, there have been 4 draws and 2 wins apiece (both Barcelona wins came with Chelsea down to ten men) In 2005, Chelsea overturned a 2-1 first leg deficit to race away to a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes at Stamford Bridge. Eventually, the Blues held off a Ronaldinho-inspired Barca fight back to progress to the quarter finals. In 2006, again down to ten men in the first leg, the Blues were beaten 2-1 at the Bridge with Eto’o scoring. In the return leg, a late Ronaldinho goal all but clinched it for Barca, rendering Lampard's injury time penalty a consolation. Later on in 2006, the two sides met in the group stages when a brilliant Drogba strike settled the tie at Stamford Bridge while Lampard’s zero-degree magic and a late Drogba goal saw Chelsea grab a 2-2 draw at the Nou Camp. This match saw 10 players yellow carded. The CL record for yellow cards is 11. 3 years on, Mourinho had long left Chelsea and Hiddink had come in after Grant and Scolari had failed. A brilliant defensive display saw Chelsea come away from the first leg at the Nou Camp with a 0-0 scoreline. In the 2nd leg, Essien’s thunderbolt looked set to hand Chelsea progress to the final for the second year running despite numerous calls for a penalty being turned down. In the end, the missed chances and the penalties not awarded came back to bite Chelsea big time “It’s Iniestaaa.. and the Chelsea fans cover their eyes in horror” It was tough to take in that away goals defeat, especially after the Luis Garcia ghost goal and the penalty shootout losses to Liverpool and ManU. Chelsea had created more chances and were by far the better team on the night but it was still not enough to set up a 2008 Champions League final rematch. Since then, Barcelona have twice won the Champions League and have solidified their status as one of the greatest teams ever while Chelsea, apart from the League and Cup double in 2010 have slid down the football hierarchy. Barca held off a spirited challenge from AC Milan in the group stages to progress as Group H winners. Bayer Leverkusen, who beat Chelsea 2-1 in the group stages, were trounced by 5 Messi goals as Barca coasted into the quarter-finals. AC Milan provided a much stiffer challenge, but Barca overcame Milan’s resilience in the second leg to progress 3-1 on aggregate. Chelsea finished top of Group E, despite failing to win any of their away games from winning positions. Valencia were beaten comprehensively at the Bridge on Matchday 6 while Genk did Chelsea a favor by holding Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw. Napoli awaited the Blues in the Round of 16 and it was truly a tale of 2 halves. Annihilated at Naples, the Chelsea old guard stepped up at the Bridge to send Chelsea through after extra-time. In the quarter-finals against Benfica, it was much closer than the 3-1 aggregate score suggested as a late Raul Meireles strike sent Chelsea through “Vengeance and retribution require a long time; it is the rule.” -Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities “Everyone’s got unfinished business with them. That game (2009) is certainly in our minds, but this is a completely different year. So, we need to try and beat them” -Frank Lampard “Let me be honest, I don't think the final will be a Real Madrid/Chelsea final. It could be Bayern or Barcelona, I just don't think it will be Real Madrid v Chelsea and we know why.” “Barcelona aren't the favourites, they are super-favourites” -Jose Mourinho The quotes speak for themselves. Let me be honest, the task for Chelsea is definitely daunting but NOT impossible. If the defense stays rigid, then a smash-and-grab is not out of question but by no means will it be easy. Barcelona will be quietly confident while Chelsea will come in with spirit and a nothing-to-lose attitude. One glorious night can set this horror season straight for Chelsea but Barcelona will come all guns blazing to defend their crown. The backdrop is set-up. The characters are in place. The magic of the Champions League will capture us again. Whatever happens, come April 18, when the players go out on the pitch, expect fireworks. Click here to view the article

Screw your girlfriend (pun intended)

He was on the line. i don't think it should count but it does anyway. 2 goals fr the great mikel!

No he isn't

i have a feeling it'll be Kalou in the end

12 hours. I need a drink

Sturridge ahead of Kalou for me today. he has the pace and trickery to take on Puyol who is mostly playin at LB (No kiddin, i asked a guy on a barca forum and he said puyi has been playin LB since abidal's transplantation) sturridge can easily get past puyol and if u grind Him up for an hour that He needs to get back and defend, he will do it

damn luiz for gettin injured anyway, thanks for the appreciation

David Luiz ruled out of both legs. renders this article moot

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/apr/17/chelsea-barcelona-champions-league-hope

then i ask you " Are you drunk?" seems a bit early in the day

i am flattered by your sarcasm

Yeah. I thought of that but when was the last time Luiz was seen doing something rash? He has been excellent since that Napoli game. Only criticism of late is his inability to clear. and with messi, a couple of body checks will do no harm anyway with luiz out for first leg atleast, Ramires will do a good job imo. He has the pace and the stamina but RDM will put him in the right wing where he will be tracking back to either Iniesta or Cuenca and the full back Adriano/Puyol

But he's suspended for the first leg. I wonder what rdm has up his sleeve for today

As Chelsea prepare to face Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this Wednesday, the question on everybody’s mind is - How do you defend against what is widely regarded as the best team in the planet whose attack is headed by the best player on the planet? ….Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Madrid have all tried and have all been swatted aside by this rampant Barcelona team and at the heart of it all is the little magician ruling the game now - Lionel Messi<br /> <br /> Sam Allardyce once said "Nobody is good enough to man-mark Messi. He could elude anybody. What you have to do, as a player, is make sure that you’re aware of him. Whenever Messi is in your area or in your space, you’ve got to take responsibility for him”. Fergie tried man-marking Messi in the Champions League final and paid the price for it. So, the question arises, how do you defend Messi? The answer is not how Guus Hiddink dealt with Messi. The Messi of 09' is very different from the Messi of today. In 09' Messi used to play Right Wing. Cut inside with his lightning quick feet and link up with Xavi and Iniesta. But now, with Ibrahimovic and Henry sold, and Villa injured, he has been playing as a false number 9 for Barca (He started playing centre before Villa’s injury, but that’s not the point)<br /> <br /> Jose Mourinho tried an interesting idea in the Spanish Community Shield or whatever they call it. He assigned one of the CB’s, Ricardo Carvalho to push up and take on Messi when he got the ball. So, essentially, Carvalho pushed up to a CDM position and the 3 remaining defenders narrowed down to deal with Villa and Pedro. That way the actual CDM’s do not have to worry about Messi and can concentrate on clamping Xavi Iniesta and Fabregas. The idea didn’t work perfectly as Carvalho was beaten easily by Messi but it did help Real deal with Messi much more effectively and I think RDM can take a leaf out of Mourinho’s box of tricks.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> In our squad, I can think of only one player who can suffocate Messi – David Luiz. Yes, I am serious and No, its not a joke. David Luiz is regarded by the media as a player prone to mistakes but when was the last time we saw him make an error? He has been playing fantastically well this year. He had Edinson Cavani in his pocket against Napoli and has reduced his forward runs recently. He has the pace to deal with Messi and can harry him all night. He doesn't have to man-mark Messi. Mikel or Ramires should take responsibility for him when he drops back deep but it is when Messi is driving at the defence that Luiz needs to be careful. You can't let Messi get into that space in front of the defence and behind the CDM's. Messi is brilliant in getting through tight spaces and you could say he can get past Luiz but given that Luiz will be tailing him at the CDM position, the covering centre-back can clean up the mess if that does happen. John Terry fits the role of the covering CB perfectly. He is the organizer of our defense and he can direct the defense to nip the Barca attacks in the bud. The Barca full-backs will overlap and attack, so Ramires and Kalou have to get back all night and act as the wing backs for Chelsea – a kind of a Christian Maggio role. With Luiz injured for the first leg, Ramires would be the next best option to stifle Messi. He has the pace and the stamina to shadow-mark him all night long. Gary Cahill would do better covering the other defenders rather than man-marking anyone. There is no guarantee this will work since Barca will realize the marking and change their system, so that’s why we need to stay flexible in defence. Also, with the first leg at the Bridge, we have to counter-attack and get at their defence whenever we get the ball because otherwise Barca will pin us back with their tiki-taka.<br /> <br /> After Wembley, I fully believe we can score against Barca. It’s all about whether we can defend them.<br /> <br /> sources: rob greissinger for the allardyce quotes and zonalmarking.net for the image and the mourinho insight.<br /> <br /> Click here to view the article

I hope real go through in controversial circumstances. that way the german crowd will support the other team in the final

Bayern at Allianz is tougher than real at allianz