Chelsea focus on Europa League
CHELSEA will resume their quest to become the first British side to win all three major European club competitions.
CHELSEA will resume their quest to become the first British side to win all three major European club competitions when they host Russian hopefuls Rubin Kazan in their Europa League quarterfinal firstleg tie today.
Last season’s Champions League triumph left the west Londoners with just Europa League honours missing from the club’s trophy cabinet, having already lifted the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup on two occasions — 1970-71 and 1997-98.
Despite a forgettable Premier League campaign, Rafael Benitez’s maligned tenure at Stamford Bridge still has the Blues in the hunt for both domestic and European silverware after Chelsea dispatched Manchester United on Monday to progress to the last four of the FA Cup.
Chelsea will likely be without defensive duo Ashley Cole (hamstring) and Gary Cahill (knee) for both legs of the clash.
However, goalkeeper Petr Cech, who helped preserve the Blues’ 1-0 victory over United, insists the defending European champions will enter the fixture in a positive frame of mind.
“It’s always important to beat big teams, for the confidence. We are not having such a fantastic season in terms of the league, but (the win over United) shows we can still beat the top teams and it gives us confidence to play another game (today),” he said.
In Rubin Kazan, Chelsea face a side that have already eliminated title holders Atletico Madrid and are unbeaten in five European away games.
Benitez’s charges, though, boast an imposing home record on the continental stage with an 11-game unbeaten streak. They also own a perfect record against Russian opposition, with four wins from as many matches.
Of the eight teams left in the European competition, Tottenham are the only club to have previously lifted the trophy (197172 and 1983-84).
Spurs host Swiss pacesetters Basel in the first leg, a pairing that ostensibly favours Andre VillasBoas’s men.
“I think hopefully going past Basel would mean a lot to the club — being present in a European semifinal. We dream of winning trophies so our focus on the Europa League won’t shift,” said Villas-Boas.
Tottenham will welcome back Gareth Bale from suspension after the Welsh star missed Spurs’ 4-1 defeat at Inter Milan that saw the north Londoners limp through on away goals.
Basel have never defeated an English side on their travels, but Manchester United’s untimely Champions League exit at the hands of the Swiss outfit last season should serve as a warning not to underestimate them.
Meanwhile, Newcastle, the third English team left in the tournament, face Portuguese highflyers Benfica in Lisbon.
Manager Alan Pardew said his team’s European adventure had come at a cost to Newcastle’s league performances, but his approach would not change with the club’s top-flight status still not assured for next season. “It has cost us points and we would not be in this position if we were not in the Europa League.”
Italy’s Lazio — the only team unbeaten in this year’s competition — travel to Turkey’s Fenerbahce in today’s other quarterfinal. Sapa-AFP