Nou Camp win in Terry's sights
Chelsea skipper John Terry turned his attention to Champions League matters after guiding his side to a 2-0 win against Portsmouth.
Frank Lampard and Arjen Robben grabbed the goals at Stamford Bridge, where the pitch is now being relaid after deteriorating over the past few weeks.
Barcelona, however, won on the bobbly surface in midweek to earn an advantage at the halfway point of the last-16 tie in Europe’s top club competition.
Terry senses victory in Spain, and he said: “We won at Old Trafford twice last season, we have won at Highbury this season and we have won at Anfield. Now we will just have to go and win at the Nou Camp.”
Arsenal excelled in the Champions League in midweek but their away form in the Premiership continued to disappoint, with defeat at Blackburn coming after Morten Gamst Pedersen’s winner.
“I still feel the team is on the way up but at the moment we do not give the impression that we can put a run together because we are a bit stop and go, go and stop, one result good, one result bad and that is maybe because we are a very young side,” said Gunners boss Arsene Wenger.
Rovers boss Mark Hughes now believes a place in the UEFA Cup is the absolute minimum return his side should achieve by the end of the season.
“I would not say it is a three-way tie for the fourth Champions League spot with Tottenham and Arsenal,” he said. “At the moment we are in a good position. We play Tottenham next weekend and that is a huge game for us.”
At the other end of the table, Birmingham boosted their hopes of survival with a 1-0 win over Sunderland.
“I would see going down with Birmingham as a big failure,” said Blues full-back Mario Melchiot. “I never want relegation on my CV and that plays on my mind. This season is a new experience.
“We have an intense period coming up and the pressure is on but that gets the best out of me. I had to try to win every game at Chelsea when we were going for the title a couple of years ago.”
Nolberto Solano’s double against Everton helped Newcastle to a 2-0 win, bolstering the credentials of caretaker boss Glenn Roeder.
“I don’t know if I will be involved next week, but the only huge achievement we can make next week is beating Bolton and taking three points from them,” Roeder said when asked about the longer-term prospects for the team.
“If you start looking beyond that, you trip up very quickly. Football is just that sort of game and, scientifically, you can’t say why.”
Charlton and Aston Villa recorded a goalless draw at The Valley, with Darren Bent failing to register a goal in front of watching England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Bent said: “I have shown what I can do in the Premiership this season. Now I want to step up to the next level.”
