Post by maxell on Aug 26, 2006 10:07:13 GMT -5
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon played down talk of his club gaining revenge on Barcelona after the two clubs were drawn together in group A of this year’s Champions League alongside Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen and Bulgarian champions Levski Sofia.
Barcelona beat the Premiership champions last season 3-2 on aggregate as Chelsea had left back Asier del Horno sent for a challenge on Barça"s Lionel Messi. The dismissal led to accusations of the Argentinean over-reacting, while José Mourinho labelled it the decisive moment of the tie.
"We have a great respect for them and we have a good relationship with them and I hope people concentrate on the football. We have to move on from what has gone on before," said Kenyon.
"This is what the Champions League is about at the end of the day. Fans want to see us against the big teams and they don't come much bigger than Barcelona."
Meanwhile, Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain saw a positive side to the draw, pointing out "it's better [to meet Chelsea] now then in the knockout stages, where it would be a riskier affair. We're not in a cliffhanger situation where it's win or bust."
"Our main goal is to finish first, and that will be the difficult part, with Levski, Werder, and above all, Chelsea, who will be our main rival for top spot," he explained.
"We're two teams who are growing and who have strengthened our squads, and we'll see who comes out on top," adding that the azulgrana would approach the group with "a lot of respect and humility."
Werder Bremen manager Thomas Schaaf admitted that his team would have to make the best of a daunting draw after being drawn alongside the two favourites for the competition.
"We are up against two of the very top teams. Just one would have been enough for the group stages. Now, we'll just have to do our best. If, by then, we have found our best form then we also have a chance [of progressing]," he said
"Overall though, we're happy to be able to test ourselves against the best teams in Europe. Levski don't have a big reputation, but they also play good football." from eurosports.com
