MOSCOW, April 28 (RIA Novosti) - Guus Hiddink's
Russian national team assistant has said that Chelsea should
put pressure on the Barcelona defense in tonight's Champions
League first leg, semi-final match in Spain.
Hiddink, who temporarily took over Chelsea earlier this
year, leads the London club into a potentially explosive clash
with Spanish giants Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Tuesday
evening. The winners of the two-legged tie will face either
Manchester United or Arsenal in the final in Rome on May 27.
"Teams that give Barcelona the ball and play defensively
always lose. However, the Catalan side almost always
experiences problems with their defense if their opponents are
ready to play their own game. The make-up of the Chelsea squad
gives reason to hope that they will be able to do this," Igor
Korneev told Sovetski Sport.
"Hiddink is able to fire players up like no one else.
Right now, Barcelona are possibly the strongest team in the
world, both as regards their performances and their squad, but
Guus is capable of convincing players that nothing is
impossible," he also told the paper.
Hiddink has transformed Chelsea since taking over at the
club on February 11. As well as making the last four of
Europe's most prestigious club competition, the side, owned by
Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich, has already booked its place
in the FA Cup final on May 30. The FA Cup showdown with Everton
will be Hiddink's last in charge of Chelsea before he returns
to coaching Russia on a full time basis.
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