Barca Must Open Fire On Milan —Guardiola

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has said that it is crucial for his players to be firebrand against AC Milan if they must qualify for the semi-final of the 2012 UEFA Champions League.

The defending champions cruised through the last round with a 7-1 thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen in the second leg at home with Lionel Messi scoring a record five goals in the process, but this tie is evenly balanced after a 0-0 draw at the San Siro last week.

Milan defended solidly and were able to break up Barcelona’s quick passing through the midfield. They now know that a score draw will see them through to the semi-finals.

Guardiola realises that the onus is on his players to break down the Italian side’s solid defence.

“I’m pretty sure that they are going to get a goal and so it is down to us to try and find the way to create chances because if they have to defend with eight players in the penalty then they will do,” said Guardiola.

“We are now in the latter stages of the competition and this is a key match which we have to win. We need to find a way to score goals and so we will have to with strong rhythm, press forward and move the ball quickly.

“There is no question of underestimating Milan.

“We know that they are a team that can knock us out as they create chances, defend well and are strong on the counter-attack.

“We are not a side which can hold out for very long defensively and so if Milan dominate the possession then there is something that we are doing wrong.”

Defensive talisman Carles Puyol was rested in Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao but is expected to return to the starting lineup against Milan.

It could again be at left-back like in the first leg with first choice Eric Abidal waiting for a liver transplant.

Puyol said Barcelona will adopt their typical attacking approach.

Meanwhile, the only English club remaining in the competition, Chelsea are targetting a semi-final spot, but their interim manager, Roberto Di Matteo has warned his players that Benfica still pose a serious threat to their dreams of reaching the semi-final.

Di Matteo’s side are firm favourites to advance to a last four clash against Barcelona or AC Milan after Salomon Kalou’s second half strike clinched a 1-0 win over Benfica in the first leg last week.

Benfica posed little threat to the Blues in Portugal, but Di Matteo is adamant the Lisbon club are capable of upsetting the odds at Stamford Bridge, especially if Chelsea produce the kind of sloppy defending that almost gifted Aston Villa a draw on Saturday.

Di Matteo’s men conceded twice in three minutes late in the match before eventually running out 4-2 winners at Villa Park and the Italian is determined to stamp out that kind of complacency ahead of the Benfica showdown.

“We won’t switch off. Only 50 percent of the job has been done because qualification is over two games,” Di Matteo said.

“We have put ourselves in a good position but Benfica away from home are a very strong side and they are capable of scoring as well so there will be no complacency from our side at all.

“I think we’ve been battling very well in the last three weeks, we have shown that on several occasions.

“The reaction after Villa drew (level) was fantastic from the team because we could have capitulated, but we went the other way and had this strong desire to win the game.”

Di Matteo’s calm and understated leadership has helped Chelsea get back on track with six wins in the eight matches since he took over from Andre Villas-Boas.

While Villas-Boas became embroiled in power struggles with several senior players in a bid to stamp his authority on the dressing room, Di Matteo has managed to keep those stars onside to such an extent that some are calling for him to be given the job on a permanent basis.

Even difficult decisions like leaving Frank Lampard on the bench for the first leg against Benfica — the kind of gamble that proved so costly for Villas-Boas when he attempted the same thing in the previous round at Napoli — have proved successful.

Lampard had a strained relationship with Villas-Boas and he admits Di Matteo’s approach has been a breath of fresh air.

“I spoke with Robbie and certainly had no issue with it. I was delighted to get the result we got,” Lampard said.

“The manager makes the decisions and he is revelling in making those decisions.

“He has kept it very simple. It’s a case of getting a confidence and passion through the team and, in the results we’ve had, you’d say he has done that.

“There’s a lot to be said for having a confident squad. You have to have that to get the best out of all your players and I feel we are in a better position now than we were in the past.”

However, Di Matteo, who had previously worked as Villas-Boas’s assistant, is keen not to take too much credit for the revival.

“I don’t want to talk about the past. We can only look forward,” he said.

“I am pleased with the attitude of the players, they have shown great character as well.

“We are in this difficult situation, the season has proved difficult for us and we are just trying to win our games now.”

Di Matteo will hope Brazilian defender David Luiz can recover from an ankle injury in time to face his former club, while Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is also a doubt with a foot problem.