• Barcelona v Chelsea, Champions League

Chelsea have to stop more than just Messi - Pique

ESPN staff
April 24, 2012

Gerard Pique has warned Chelsea not to fool themselves into thinking Barcelona are a one-man team led by Lionel Messi ahead of Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg.

Messi was kept relatively quiet by a Real Madrid midfield that swarmed him at Camp Nou during the weekend's 2-1 reverse. The Argentinian was also denied by Chelsea's defence at Stamford Bridge, although often by last-ditch tackles.

Messi has never scored against the Blues, despite facing them seven times, and he was suffering from illness in the early part of the week. But Pique insists there are others to hurt Chelsea if the world's best player does not perform.

"Leo offers us a great deal and his goals are vital many times but we have a lot of players who can score," Pique said. "There isn't a Messi dependency. There are many players who can score and give us what we want."

Barcelona have never reached a Champions League final after losing the first leg of a semi. Facing a 1-0 deficit, they have also failed to beat Chelsea in 90 minutes of football in their last six attempts.

"Statistics are there to be broken," said Pique. "I don't believe in them. I believe in our team. We are more than capable of winning and getting to the final.

"This will not affect us in any way. Our desire to get to the final is great. If we play like we did in London and create as many chances we will go through."

Pique is expected to return to the Barcelona starting XI on Tuesday, where he might face Didier Drogba who faces a late fitness test. A scoring one-goal defeat would be enough to see Chelsea through to the final, where they would face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

Key battle: As much as Pique protests, Barcelona are half the attacking force when Messi's influence is removed from the game. No one man can stop him, so it will be the work of John Obi Mikel, John Terry and Gary Cahill that will decide the contest.

Player to watch: Didier Drogba. Match-winner in the first leg, the Ivorian drew widespread criticism for his constant inclination to hit the floor and waste time. Barcelona will be in the referee's face early if Drogba begins his antics at Camp Nou.

Bet of the day: Chelsea to pick up four or more bookings: 4/5 with Bet 365

Prediction: 2-1 (Chelsea to go through)

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