Blues determined to avoid Yellows - Wright-Phillips

Shaun Wright-Phillips is determined Chelsea will rise above any intimidation from Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge tonight.

Chelsea’s 31-goal top scorer Didier Drogba, goalkeeper Petr Cech and full-back Lassana Diarra are just one yellow card away from a suspension, and that is causing coach Jose Mourinho some concern ahead of the first leg.

Mourinho has already admitted he fears Liverpool will try to wind-up Drogba in order to get him booked and ruled out of the return leg at Anfield

But Wright-Phillips, whose brace in the 4-1 win over West Ham last week kept Chelsea in the race for a third successive Barclays Premiership title, insists they will do their utmost not to react.

Wright-Phillips said: “We have to be very careful because we don’t want any players missing the second leg.

“It is not going to be easy but we are professionals and have to learn to adapt. We look out for each other all the time anyway.

“It will be very difficult both mentally and physically because all the games we have played have been very important ones.

“We have had to be mentally strong through them all. This game will be hard for us in a lot of ways.”

Chelsea are still smarting from the semi-final defeat in the same competition two years ago when Luis Garcia’s shot was adjudged to have crossed the line.

It proved to be the decisive strike over the two legs and just as Mourinho has ruled out any sense of revenge, Wright-Phillips maintains the players have ignored the subject.

Wright-Phillips, who was not at the club when Chelsea lost in such controversial circumstances, said: “We’ve not spoken about it.

“We are treating this game like it is a first semi-final. But it’s a difficult game given everything that we’re going through at the moment.”

Wright-Phillips is beginning to show the kind of form which prompted Chelsea to pay £21million for him from Manchester City.

He has been kept on the sidelines this season because of the form of winger Arjen Robben but the Dutchman’s knee injury has provided Wright-Phillips with the chance he craved.

Yet the diminutive England winger insists there is still room for improvement in his game.

He added: “I still think I can get better. A lot of the games are catching up on me and everyone else mentally. We’ve had games every three days and they have been crucial ones for us.

“I am pleased that I am giving a lot back to my team and the coaches who have backed me all the way and have always believed in me.”

Chelsea are without the suspended Michael Essien and injured Michael Ballack but Mourinho is hoping Ricardo Carvalho will shake off a hamstring strain in time to play.

But he fears that Drogba will goaded into a booking that will rule him out of the return leg.

Mourinho said: “We have Essien suspended and a lot of players with two yellow cards and it would not surprise me if they chase Drogba for 90 minutes to try and get him suspended for the second game.

“So even on that they are on a different level than us. They have more conditions than us, but we will see who wins. Our intention is to play the game and try to win.”