Chelsea battle liverpool
jinx
From Soccerstar Desk
Tuesday,
April 22, 2008
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| Photo:
Sun News Publishing |
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Chelsea FC will be hoping it will prove a case of third-time
lucky when they visit Liverpool FC for the first leg of their
UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Twice in the last four years the Londoners' dreams of reaching
their first European Champion Clubs' Cup final have died at
Anfield, following 1-0 defeats in the second leg of their
semi-finals in 2005 and 2007.
This time they travel north for the opening match, however,
with the return in London to come on 30 April and Chelsea
will be determined to ensure that the reversal of venues will
bring a change of fortune.
Liverpool will have other ideas as they close in on a third
final in four years and they certainly have history on their
side. The Merseyside club have never lost a semi-final to
Chelsea, prevailing in the FA Cup in 1964/65 (2-0) and 2005/06
(2-1) in addition to those two European triumphs.
Moreover, the five-time European champions have won their
last seven semi-finals in the continent's élite competition
– a record that contrasts starkly with that of a Chelsea
side beaten in their three previous attempts.
The rivalry between Liverpool and Chelsea has intensified
in recent years, on the back of six UEFA Champions League
encounters since 2005. Rafael Benítez's men hold the
upper hand in these European contests, with three wins to
Chelsea's one.
The teams first met in Europe in the 2004/05 semi-final when
Luis García's fourth-minute goal in the second leg
in Liverpool proved enough to earn the hosts a 1-0 aggregate
victory en route to their final triumph over AC Milan in Istanbul.
The lineups for the game at Anfield on 3 May 2005 were:
Liverpool: Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan, Jamie Carragher, Sami
Hyypia, Djimi Traoré, Luis García (Antonio Núñez
84), Didi Hamann (Harry Kewell 73), Igor Bican, Steven Gerrard,
John Arne Riise, Milan Baro‰ (Djibril Cissé 60).
Chelsea: Petr âech, Geremi (Robert Huth 76), Ricardo
Carvalho, John Terry, William Gallas, Claude Makelele, Tiago
(Mateja KeÏman 68), Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (Arjen Robben
68), Eidur Gudjohnsen, Didier Drogba.
Liverpool inflicted further heartache on Chelsea in last season's
semi-final. They lost the first leg at Stamford Bridge 1-0
to a 29th-minute Joe Cole goal, but won the return by the
same score thanks to Daniel Agger's 22nd-minute strike before
triumphing 4-1 on penalties.
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