Rafa piles the pressure on Mourinho

A 12-point gap suggests Chelsea should win with their eyes shut when the teams battle for a place in the Champions League Final for the second time in three seasons. But Jose Mourinho surely knows better.

As he approaches Wednesday night's semi-final first leg at Stamford Bridge, the Chelsea manager can draw on bitter personal experience to remind his players of the pitfalls facing them as they chase an unlikely quadruple.

Rafa Benitez's side may struggle to keep pace over nine months but have repeatedly shown they can hold sway over 90 minutes.

They did it at this late stage of the Champions League two years ago and in the FA Cup last season. Then, for good measure, they added a resounding Premiership win at Anfield three months ago.

Another triumph would be the most memorable of all for Benitez, and he appears to be plotting it with the same quiet conviction that has so far done most to threaten Mourinho's seemingly unshakeable self-belief.

Relentlessly confrontational, Mourinho relishes trading blows with rival bosses but has looked less at ease fending off the sly digs that have become Benitez's trademark.

Liverpool's manager was aiming for the ribs again shortly before leaving the club' s Melwood training ground for the journey south, as he initially indicated a reluctance to court controversy then proceeded to take his Chelsea counterpart to task over a variety of topics.

He had a persuasive argument to counter Mourinho's whining over whether Luis Garcia's semi-final winner crossed the line two years ago.

Benitez said: "I have a very clear vision of the passage of play, immediately before Luis scored. It was a penalty and a red card.

"A penalty for a foul on Milan Baros and red card for Petr Cech, so he has no room for complaints.

"You can talk about the goal, but if the play is stopped for the penalty, they could be starting again at 1-0 down and without their goalkeeper.

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"I am not surprised he is still going on about it, but that is the reality."

Mourinho is under pressure at Chelsea and his future remains uncertain, but Benitez has no sympathy for him.

"All managers are under pressure," he said. "It is part of the job, whether you are at Wigan or Chelsea. I have worked with that uncertainty before, at Valencia, but you just get on with it.

"We will be trying to increase the pressure on them, just as we did two years ago. The longer we kept it goalless then, the more a bit of anxiety crept in, because, when you are at home, you expect to score and take a win into the return leg.

"Our idea is to win tomorrow, but we want to keep things tight, because if it stays at 0-0 near the end, they will be under pressure.

"I had big decisions to make all round the pitch on who should play. I had to analyse the plan and decide who could best make it work, because the Champions League is now Chelsea's priority.

"I know how much losing two years ago affected them and how much they want to make up for it. But I had a feeling it could be our season in 2005, and I have the same feeling now."

"We have shown belief against Chelsea this season. It took a goal out of nothing from Didier Drogba to settle it at Stamford Bridge, and the way we won 2-0 at Anfield was confirmation that we can beat them."

For all the emphasis on teamwork, both camps will be closely monitoring key individual battles, not least Didier Drogba's tussle with Jamie Carragher and the in-form Dirk Kuyt's efforts to find a way past John Terry and reinforce his quest to eclipse Peter Crouch as Liverpool's leading scorer.

The most critical contest will surely be Steven Gerrard's mission to outmanoeuvre Frank Lampard, and Benitez believes his skipper is in the mood to cast a decisive spell over English football's biggest occasion of the season so far.

Benitez said: "I used to think it was maybe easier for Lampard to shine because he had so many good players around him.

"But that has been balanced out by the way our squad has improved. Stevie now has players like Mascherano, Alonso, Kuyt and Crouch who can help him out, and that has given him a better chance to play at his true level.

"He and Lampard are both really good players, and I don't agree that you cannot accommodate them in the same team.

"You cannot say one is better than the other. They both have their own attributes, but I am sure they can play alongside each other.

"What matters most, though, is that Stevie is the sort of player who can rise to a challenge like this.

"It is going to be a big game, and there will be a lot of expectation on him. But he has a very good mentality, especially in key moments.

"Just look what he did in Istanbul two years ago, and again in last season's FA Cup Final. That strength of character carried us through each time and is going to be important again this time."

CHELSEA (4-4-2): Cech; Diarra, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole; Makelele, Wright-Phillips, Lampard, Mikel; Shevchenko, Drogba.

One card from a ban: Diarra, Drogba, J Cole (possible sub).

LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa; Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Riise; Kuyt, Bellamy.

One card from a ban: None.

Referee: Markus Merk (Ger).

TV: Sky Sports 1, 7.30pm (kick-off 7.45).