Lamps: Discipline will be key

Frank Lampard admitted Chelsea’s hopes of beating Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final could lie with keeping 11 men on the field.

The Blues’ three defeats to Barca in the 10 encounters since 2000 have all been suffered after they had someone sent off.

Midfielder Lampard, who played in two of those matches, acknowledged Chelsea could ill afford to lose a player in tomorrow’s clash of next Tuesday’s second leg if they were going to shock the European champions.

“Discipline is a huge fact at this level,” he said. “To play a man down against Barcelona is very tough.

“We have to tackle and close space, but we’ve got a good discipline in our team. Keeping 11 on the pitch is crucial.”