Battle of nerves at Nou Camp

A Champions League semi-final between Chelsea and Barcelona should be judged on its own merits, but these sides have scores to settle at the Nou Camp tonight as old enemies and grievances came to the fore in the pre-match jousting.

There is a sense building that, after years of being the competition’s nearly men, Chelsea could finally climb to the summit of European football in the year that nothing was expected of them.

They have been here before of course. Defeat by Manchester United in the 2008 final was their nadir in the Champions League, but it is hard not to argue that their last-minute semi-final loss to Barcelona a year later did not cut them just as deep.

The screams of agony against the referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, for denying Chelsea four penalties continued for months afterwards – and with eight of the visitors’ side from that night still in the squad for this evening’s game, revenge is in the air.

To add to the intrigue, the man who did more than any other bar Roman Abramovich to propel Chelsea to the top-table, Jose Mourinho, was victorious with his Real Madrid team in Saturday’s El Classico in this cavernous arena.

Petr Cech laughed off suggestions his old manager has influenced Chelsea’s tactics this time around – ‘we had a tactical meeting a few hours ago,’ he smiled – but there was no doubting the nervousness around the Nou Camp yesterday.

Chelsea’s 1-0 victory in the first-leg was a statistical anomoly – Barcelona had 70 per cent of possession and 25 shots to four – but six successive games without defeat against the Catalans is a wonderful record.

Lionel Messi has been off-colour in his last two games, which is enough to be a crisis in the land of Gaudi, and Chelsea’s confidence is growing. Considering he has been at Stamford Bridge eight years, it was hardly surprising that Cech sounded almost desperate as the side of John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba and himself raises itself for one last hurrah.

“We would like to prove that we have a jinx over them, that is the point,” grinned the goalkeeper.

“We have had in the past very good games against Barcelona, and in the past we managed to go through – and then they were luckier (in 2009).

“We are a great team and always we try to find our best. We put ourselves in a very good position, winning 1-0 the first leg and we have 90 minutes to go to the final, which we will try to do.

“I have been hoping for eight years that this is the year we take our chance to win the Champions League, and I hope this will be the year we do it.

“Many times we were close but didn’t manage it. If we have a fantastic game then we have a chance, but we need to play for 90 minutes. We got a great result in the first leg but Barcelona are favourites as they play in front of their own fans.

“Are we surprised to have done so well since losing 3-1 in the first leg of the second round to Napoli under former manager Andre Villas-Boas? Well, it is great to be in a position like that, and everything can go quickly in football.

“We have a good advantage and we are confident we are in a good enough position to go through.”

For that to happen Chelsea will need the likes of Drogba and Terry to be at their imperious best. They have come back from the brink this season, and the impression is they are facing a Barcelona team who are wobbling slightly.

Caretaaker manager Roberto Di Matteo believes his side have the quality to not only win tonight but beat either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the final as well.

“I think we have the qualities within this team (to win the Champions League), and you do need on the way a little bit of luck on your side to be able to win a competition like this. Certainly the squad we have is very strong, and the players are very good.”

Yet the question is whether it will be enough. But Chelsea have made it their job this season to prove the doubters wrong. The question now is whether they can do the same tonight in the most difficult arena of them all.