Benitez expects Chelsea to attack
Rafael Benitez maintains the pressure is all on Chelsea ahead of tonight’s Champions League semi-final crunch at Stamford Bridge.
The Liverpool boss – whose side must score to combat Chelsea’s away goal from last week’s 1-1 first-leg draw – insists Chelsea’s fans will not allow the Londoners to sit back.
And he also feels the fact Chelsea have failed at this stage three times in recent years will play on their minds.
Benitez, who obviously wants Chelsea to attack and leave spaces for his side to exploit, said: “We need to score one goal, and maybe that will be enough.
“Chelsea will be under pressure. Their supporters will be expecting something special and you cannot defend at home and lose 1-0.
“Their supporters will not be happy with that. So Chelsea need to attack and we need to attack, so it will be a very open game.”
And it is clear he is looking to 30-goal Fernando Torres – runner-up to Cristiano Ronaldo for the PFA Player of the Year award – to do the damage to Chelsea’s defence.
Torres gave an uncharacteristically wasteful display in the first leg, missing three gilt-edged chances.
But Benitez believes it will be different this time.
He said: “Torres has the mentality to reach the final, he wants to play and he is very focused and can concentrate.
“For him to be in a European Cup final in his first season at Liverpool is a dream he wants to experience.”
He added: “Maybe Chelsea will be under more pressure. They want to win but they know they have failed at this stage three times recently.
“Their fans will try to push them to the final, but the same applies to our fans because we want the trophy too.
“Even if we concede, it still means we must score. If we score then Chelsea have big problems because they must get two, and if we get another then they will have to score three. It is tougher for them in such a situation.
“It could be penalties again, but I have great faith in Pepe (Reina). And I know that if Fernando Torres has the sort of chances this time that he missed in the first leg, then he will not miss them a second time. Chelsea must be aware of that.”
And Benitez refused to retract any of his condemnation of Chelsea striker Didier Drogba last night.
The Anfield boss was very aware his words on Drogba’s ability to “fall down too easily” had been met with an angry response from Chelsea chief Avram Grant earlier in the day.
But as the two Premier League giants prepared to square up in tonight’s second leg, Benitez stuck to his guns.
He said: “I was clear, after watching a lot of games I believe everyone would have the same idea. Everybody can see it in the games.
“Drogba is a fantastic player, that is clear, but he falls down too easily.”
