Frank Lampard has insisted that Chelsea's desire to make up for years of heartbreak in the Champions League can see them knock out Barcelona tonight and reach a second successive final.

The midfielder was part of the Blues side beaten on penalties by Manchester United in last year's final and has also suffered the pain of semi-final exits in 2004, 2005 and 2007.

Although Lampard believes the squad are still improving, he admitted the players were conscious of the near-misses they had experienced - and are determined not to let it happen again.

Lampard, John Terry and Joe Cole have been the unlucky losers with Chelsea on all four of those occasions, with goalkeeper Petr Cech, defender Ricardo Carvalho and striker Didier Drogba missing out three times.

The England midfielder said: "We've often been very close and there's certainly a determination to win it. We have memories, good and bad.

"There are memories of last year, when we were within an inch of winning it and there have been the semi-final defeats. The determination increases that bit more with every year you don't win it.

"One of the most frustrating things about losing a final is the knowledge that you will have to do it all over again the following year.

"You get all that way, beat teams and then you lose it by an inch. That was frustrating and who knew if we were going to get this far again?

"But we have and we've managed to do that regularly over the last five years, which is a credit to the lads. It's not easy to stand up and try to get so far again. Now we'll try to go that little bit further.

"There's as much hunger, if not more, to win it and we have the ingredients needed to be successful."

Although Chelsea held Barca to a 0-0 draw in last week's first leg at the Nou Camp, the Catalans' stunning 6-2 away win against reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid - which featured two goals from star forward Lionel Messi - four days later illustrated the size of the task Guus Hiddink's men still face. Chelsea's success eight days ago owed much to their ability to keep Messi, who has 36 goals this season, quiet even without suspended left-back Ashley Cole.

Cole returns at Stamford Bridge tonight but Lampard (left) fears Messi's failure to shine in the first leg makes the man he believes to be the world's No1 player even more dangerous an opponent tonight. Lampard said: "The top players can produce at any moment. Messi is an absolute genius of a player. Last week, it didn't quite come off for him but he will be even more determined to do something special at our place.

"He has the ability to do whatever he wants because he is so good and I stand by my belief that he is the best player in the world.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player, and I love both of them, but the season Messi is having makes him the best at the moment.

"It is very important for us that Ashley Cole is back even though Jose Bosingwa did very well against Messi in the first leg.

"Ashley has been absolutely fantastic for us this season. He is certainly the best left-back in the Premier League and I don't know how he wasn't voted into the PFA Team of the Season.

"He has been unbelievable, especially with the attacking drive he gives us on the left-hand side and it is great to have him back." Barca were unhappy with Chelsea's approach during the first leg, with many of their players criticising Hiddink's men for lacking ambition and adopting too physical a style.

Hiddink has already laughed off these remarks by insisting that football is "a man's game", and there is every indication that the Blues will again attempt to disrupt Barca's rhythm tonight by denying them time and space on the ball.

With Rafael Marquez injured and captain Carles Puyol suspended, Josep Guardiola's side will be without two of their most important defenders, and Lampard urged his team-mates to exploit the Catalans' vulnerability at the back.

The 30-year-old said: "We will be playing at home and we will hurt them more than we hurt them away. They would want their front-line centre-backs out there and it's up to them to re-jig that. Hopefully, we can take advantage at Stamford Bridge.

"Their midfielders, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, are fantastic players and it is crucial to get close to them, because they provide the supply line to their three forwards.

"It's very hard at their place, because the pitch is so big and their movement is so good. Hopefully at our place with the confidence of being at home, we'll be able to get closer to them and hopefully try to hurt them in ways we didn't hurt them in the first leg.

"We need to play with that passion, we need to play with that little bit of English pace and strength in the game but we need to play quality football. That's how we'll beat them."

* Frank Lampard wears the new adidas Chelsea home kit for the 2009/10 season featuring ClimaCool mesh for extra comfort. Every team needs a 12th man - to test your Chelsea knowledge and to pre-order your shirt, visit www.adidas.com/chelseafc