Solbakken’s daft Danes confident of causing upset

FC COPENHAGEN’S players were yesterday uber-confident of piling on the misery for Chelsea in tonight’s Champions League last-16 first leg.

Head coach Stale Solbakken revealed the more “daft” members of his squad reckoned they were a better team than the Premier League champions, who arrived at the Parken Stadium yesterday desperate to rescue a season in real danger of unravelling completely.

Defeat to the lowest-ranked team left in the competition would cap a fall from grace that has seen Chelsea all but surrender their league title and crash out of the FA Cup in the past fortnight.

Copenhagen have not played a competitive match since their final Champions League group game more than two months ago but they appear far from overawed about a game being billed in Denmark as the biggest in the club’s history.

“It’s been the longest preparation ever,” declared a relaxed Solbakken. “Since January 10, we have been preparing for this game and this game only. Maybe we haven’t had the opposition we’ve needed to be at our best level, but the players are in good shape and confident.

“Some of my players are so daft that they think they’re a better side than Chelsea. Maybe I should be talking them down a bit. Some have only lost one or two games playing in this side, so they think it’s easy. Confidence is very high in the team.”

He added: “Maybe Chelsea’s 120 minutes in the FA Cup (against Everton) can even things out a bit. It’ll be in their legs.”

Despite the mind games, Solbakken is wary of a Chelsea side whose biggest crime in their last few matches has been missing gilt-edged chances.

He said of the Liverpool defeat that kick-started their latest bad run: “As a Liverpool fan, it’s hard to beat them, with ‘King’ Kenny (Dalglish) back.”

Insisting Chelsea had completely outplayed Fulham and Everton in their subsequent games, he added: “It’s better to meet them now than in September, but their results are weaker than their performances. They haven’t been that bad.”

But he added, tellingly: “It’s not been scary, either.”

Copenhagen have never lost at home in the Champions League, beating Celtic and Manchester United in recent years as well as drawing with Barcelona earlier this season.

“There’s optimism, and 7,000 went to the Nou Camp believing we’d beat Barcelona away – it’s the same feeling now,” said Solbakken, who joked Chelsea were a “much better” team than Barca.