Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has revealed that he is extremely happy to go into the match against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final as the underdogs.
Chelsea have been the favourites to win the Champions League over the past couple of seasons, but recent failures mean that they will not be the favourites against Barcelona when the two sides meet at the Stamford Bridge.
Didier Drogba has revealed that it is extremely easy to play when there are no expectations unlike in previous seasons when they were expected to win the Champions League. A champions league bet placed on Chelsea this season would see you recoup 10 times your stake, compared to previous seasons when they have been as low as 6/4 to win.
Chelsea made it to the final of the Champions League once, but lost in the final to Manchester United on penalties. Many argue that this will be the last season for many of the old guard at Chelsea, which includes Didier Drogba as well. Chelsea have certainly done well after the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas, as they have reached the semi-final stage when they were not expected to cross the last 16 itself.
However, they will be facing the biggest opponents in the form of Barcelona, who stand between them and either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid. Lampard has also spoken about the underdog status of Chelsea in this match, which could potentially help them.
“I don’t mind if people write us off against Barcelona. We’re in the semi-final on merit. I understand what people are saying. Everyone has this feeling with Barcelona that they’re going to roll over everyone. When they’re at their best they can do that. We have to take them on and play the way we did in the FA Cup,” Drogba said ahead of the meeting with Barcelona.
Chelsea are undefeated against Barcelona in their last five meetings with the Spanish club and they will be hoping that the run continues this season as well.