Guardiola makes Chelsea favourites for Champions League semi-final
Barcelona Head Coach Pep Guardiola has labelled Chelsea as the favourites to reach the final after the Premier League side’s 1-0 victory in the Champions League semi-final first-leg on Wednesday evening, the BBC has reported.
Despite recording 82% of possession, according to the BBC, Barcelona lost out to a single Didier Drogba goal, swept past goalkeeper Victor Valdes on the brink of half-time after a Chelsea counter-attack initiated when Frank Lampard robbed Lionel Messi. The England midfielder swept the ball out to Ramires on the left wing and the Brazilian eventually crossed for Drogba, who repeated his feat of a few days earlier when he scored against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-final.
Speaking after the match Guardiola revealed his belief that Drogba’s goal was enough to make Chelsea favourites to reach the final. He said: “I would say the favourites are now Chelsea because winning 1-0 at home is a very good result for them.” A year ago Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in the first-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with a 1-1 second-leg draw confirming Barca’s place in the final against Manchester United.
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