Lampard: Past pain can spur us to win

Anger and resentment still flood most Chelsea thoughts at the mere mention of Liverpool and Champions League semi-finals, after a highly contentious Luis Garcia goal settled the first between the teams three years ago and a penalty shootout separated them last season.

Frank Lampard will not have either emotion in the build-up to the latest last-four showdown, though, after finishing off stubborn Fenerbahce with his late goal on Tuesday.

The previous two encounters have been marked by acrimonious verbal exchanges and Lampard was quick to fire the opening shot ahead of the first leg at Anfield.

It was hardly the sort of brash boast Mourinho might have approved of, though, as the England midfielder outlined why his teammates must detach themselves from any lingering sense of injustice.

'It is easy to talk about revenge, after what has happened before, but I don't think that would be the right emotion to take into a game like this,' he said.

'You don't want revenge on your mind because the Champions League is very much about keeping your head and concentrating for the entire 90 minutes of both legs.

'We ended up being knocked out the last two times we played them and those were both very big disappointments.

'But that will have no bearing whatsoever on how this tie goes. All we will have in our thoughts is the golden carrot of getting to the final.

'It is possible we can learn from those defeats, anyway. The best thing we can take from them is that feeling that hits you at the final whistle because it is the worst you can have. You have to learn from your setbacks and try to correct them when you get the chance.'

Liverpool had the rub of the green over penalty decisions in their quarter final with Arsenal but not when Chelsea visited Anfield in the Barclays Premier League in August.

Leading through a brilliant solo goal from Fernando Torres they were pegged back by a spot-kick award that brought referee Rob Styles derision. A 0-0 draw followed in February.

Though Michael Essien misses the first game through suspension, there was an unmistakable relief among Avram Grant's players that they will host the second leg after having their fate sealed at Anfield in both previous meetings.

Midfielder Michael Ballack, who opened the scoring against Fenerbahce, said: 'It is always difficult having the second leg away, especially if you don't get the right result in the first one.

'It will give us confidence knowing the return is at Stamford Bridge and I feel we are ready for the challenge. We have had a difficult season with injuries and players at the Africa Cup of Nations but we are getting over that.

'Now I expect a very strong Chelsea team over the next few weeks. We need to be because we face Manchester United in between the two Liverpool games.

'I've been in the Champions League every year for the past decade and went close with Bayer Leverkusen. I really want to win it and it would be fantastic for the club and myself if we could do it this season.

'We must win it because when people look back in 10 or 20 years they will only remember the trophies we won, not the quarter-finals or semifinals we reached.'

Master tactician Rafa Benitez prides himself on keeping the opposition guessing in Europe but his decision to include Peter Crouch against Arsenal took even the Liverpool striker by surprise.

Crouch responded by constantly troubling Arsenal's defence and he sensed he may be winning over the Liverpool boss after recently indicating he will leave in the summer.

'I thought he would stick to the system we have been using recently. It was a surprise to find myself in the team,' he said.

'I sort of knew when I was involved in set-pieces in training the morning before the game and I just concentrated on getting in the right frame of mind.

'I think it had a lot to do with my performance at Arsenal in the Premier League. I would like to think I might have turned a bit of a corner.

'Everyone knows I haven't started nearly as many games as I would have liked but I have played in the last two. It was such a huge game against Arsenal, and I have proved to him that I can play a part in them.

'If I'm feeling down I don't show it and, at the moment, it's not about me being unhappy or whatever. It's about pulling together and being part of a team with a chance of a European final.'