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Roberto Di Matteo has conceded Chelsea must summon "two perfect games" if they are to get past Barcelona and into the Champions League final, but he has urged his team to play without fear and draw conviction from their own recent resurgent form.
The London club welcome the holders having not lost to the Catalans in their past five meetings, fuelling the belief that they could be the English side best suited to combat Barça's slick possession football. Plans have been drawn up to nullify the considerable threat posed by the prolific Lionel Messi, who has already scored 63 goals this season, but Chelsea will attempt both to stifle the visitors and impose their own attacking game-plan on the occasion.
Bayern Munich have the advantage. Mario Gomez's stoppage-time winner gave last night's hosts a crucial lead as they fought with Real Madrid for the right to play one more Champions League game in their Allianz Arena this... more »
There are going to be a lot of late, two-hour lunches and a lot of closed office doors around U.S. offices on Wednesday afternoon. We’re accustomed to seeing that phenomenon during the first two days of the NCAA... more »
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