SOCCER UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:ROBERTO DI Matteo will send his Chelsea team out into the ferocious atmosphere of Camp Nou tonight convinced they have the resilience and quality to knock Barcelona, the holders, out of the Champions League and go on to claim the trophy for the first time.

The last remaining English club in European competition take a narrow advantage into the second leg, courtesy of Didier Drogba’s goal at Stamford Bridge, and will attempt to extend their unbeaten sequence against the Catalans to seven matches to ensure progress to the final in Munich next month.

The interim first-team coach has yet to finalise his line-up but Drogba, absent for the draw at Arsenal with a knee injury, is expected to feature, having trained last night.

This is Chelsea’s sixth Champions League semi-final in nine years in what has proved, as yet, a fruitless pursuit of a trophy craved by their owner, Roman Abramovich.

With the team sixth in the Premier League, their ability to qualify via the league is in doubt. Yet, when asked if they can prevail despite Barca being unbeaten at home in 15 European games and go on to claim the silverware, Di Matteo said:

“We do have the qualities within this team. Away from home, as we’ve seen in the past, you need a bit of luck to be able to do well in a competition like this. But, certainly, we have the quality and the squad at Chelsea.

“I do think we’ll have to try and score a goal. That would give us a greater chance. It’ll be difficult just playing for a goalless draw because, ultimately, Barcelona would create chances against every team they play. So we’ll try and limit the chances they can create against us.”

Chelsea’s obdurate approach in the first leg has drawn criticism from some, with former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar stating in the Spanish press he hoped Barca progress “for the sake of the game and for football in general”.

The visitors had monopolised possession at Stamford Bridge and struck the woodwork twice, only to concede from Chelsea’s only shot on target.

They arrive here braced for another awkward evening if, after an inconsistent season, pinching themselves to be in this position at all.

“Everybody was writing us off after the first leg in Napoli when we were 3-1 down and yet here we are now, in the Camp Nou, just 90 minutes from the final,” said goalkeeper Petr Cech. “We feel confident. I’m just one of a lot of experienced players here who has been hoping, for years, I’d have a chance of winning the Champions League.

“We’ve come so close so many times and haven’t managed it. If we have a fantastic game, then we’ll have a chance of reaching that final.”

Barcelona, defeated in the first leg and beaten by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in El Clasico on Saturday, are wounded and have not lost three matches in a row for nine years.

Cech joked that Mourinho had conducted “a tactical meeting a few hours ago” to prepare his former players for the task ahead. Yet there is a wariness within Barca’s ranks over the threat posed by the visitors, not least by Drogba.

Gerard Pique is expected to start to combat the Ivorian, with the striker’s perceived theatrics from the first match still prompting grumbling discontent here. “Every time a player goes down and complains, I believe he’s been hurt,” said Pique. “If he keeps doing that, you might end up thinking that’s not the case. But, for now, I believe in his honesty. If not, we’d have to start to talk about football not having fair play and being all about cheats.”

Their manager, Pep Guardiola, played opposite Di Matteo in the quarter-final between these clubs in 2000 when the Catalans overcame a 3-1 first-leg deficit to win 6-4 on aggregate after extra-time.

The Barca manager was a prickly presence last night, riled by what he took as criticisms of his players, but warned of the threat posed by the visitors. “They’re strong and have the weapons to hurt us, so this is a big challenge,” he said. “But I have no doubts that we’ll get to Munich. I can either sit here and be depressed about the result of the first match or I can be optimistic. And I have faith.”

In Ashley Cole, Branislav Ivanovic, Ramires, David Luiz and Raul Meireles Chelsea have five players – of whom only Luiz, recovering well from a hamstring strain, will not feature – one booking away from a suspension that would rule them out of participating in Munich.

“We have to focus fully on going through,” said Di Matteo. “The ones at risk know who they are but they cannot think about it.

“A lot of my players have played here before, so we know what to expect. We just have to make sure we stay cool.” Guardian Service