• Champions League

Ribery: Defeat would ruin Chelsea

ESPN staff
May 17, 2012
Franck Ribery: 'Bayern Munich are definitely not thinking about losing' © Getty Images
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Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery has warned Chelsea that they face a calamitous drop in morale if they fail to win the Champions League final on Saturday.

Chelsea endured a disappointing Premier League season, finishing sixth, and must defeat Bayern if they are to play in the Champions League again next campaign.

Overall victory in Europe's premier club competition has been described as an obsession for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich - and Ribery feels that has raised the stakes significantly for Roberto Di Matteo's men.

"Abramovich has wanted to win the Champions League for so long," he said. "If they lose it on Saturday then it will be brutally tough. It would ruin them in the head and really lower morale."

Meanwhile, Bayern's Arjen Robben, who used to play for Chelsea, has said that he expects his former employers to come in with a negative mindset, as was the case in their semi-final victory over Barcelona.

"We expect them to be very defensive and tight, but we have played often against such sides and we have just got to try and find a way through," Robben said.

"It is going to be tight and I just hope it goes well. We have got to try and take the game to them."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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