Home delivery can help Chelsea through

Posted Monday, April 16, 2012 by The Sun

Home delivery can help Chelsea through
EU'VE BEEN WARNED ... Lionel Messi

FRANK LAMPARD & Co will win dump Barcelona out of the Champions League IF they win at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

Stats gurus Opta sent some astonishing evidence that gives Chelsea hope as they bid to avenge their 2009 semi-final loss.

This time the first leg is at the Bridge.

And Barcelona have been eliminated EVERY time they have lost the first leg of a Champions League semi, at home (once) or away (twice).

Javier Mascherano last night said: “We’re in the semi-finals. Wednesday’s match will mark the tie.”

Try ‘DECIDE’, Javier.

If you think Barcelona have not lost a European semi with Lionel Messi in the side, think again.

It’s happened twice.

Two years ago they lost 3-1 at Inter, courtesy of a few dodgy decisions.

But they could only win 1-0 in the return leg as Jose Mourinho’s ultra-negative tactics — Inter finished the game with zero shots — worked causing a massive upset.

Four years ago Barca, with Messi not fully fit, lost out to United after drawing a blank at the Nou Camp. Paul Scholes’ long-ranger at Old Trafford won the tie.

Before Messi, a decade ago they lost at home to Real Madrid as Raul and Steve McManaman scored. They were eliminated at the Bernabeu with a draw.

The other occasion they missed out was after losing 4-1 at Valencia in 2000 and only managing a 2-1 win in the return.

On the whole, people believe that playing the second leg at home virtually guarantees success.

In reality it’s almost even. Of the 36 Champions League semi-finalists to have played the return at home, 19 have progressed and 17 have been eliminated.

But try this for size.

Of the 15 teams that have won the first leg of a semi at home — 14 have progressed to the final.

Barca’s stats improve dramatically in previous rounds, too.

They lost seven first-leg matches in the knockout stage, and managed to progress three times.

So the semi-final is a very peculiar stage of the competition and that is why Chelsea MUST go all out to get the win first.

Getafe and Osasuna — who lost 8-0 at the Nou Camp but beat the Catalans at home in February — are the only two teams to beat Barca this season.

If two Spanish minnows can do it in a one-off game, then so can Chelsea.

Then, they have history on their side.