Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Benitez To Hiddink - No Mind Games Ahead of Champions League Bout


It was somewhat inevitable that Liverpool and Chelsea were going to be pitted against one another in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

The Reds and the Blues face-off for the fifth consecutive season in Europe's premier club competition but, unlike the grapples Rafa Benitez shared with Blues bosses of the past, he expects no war of words with current Chelsea interim manager, Guus Hiddink.

"Some managers want to play too many mind games. With Hiddink, it will just be about football," he told the People newspaper.

The first-leg will be competed on Wednesday, when Liverpool have home advantage. The return date will be staged at Stamford Bridge six days later.

Benitez most famously shared a battle of the minds with the charismatic Jose Mourinho.

The former Chelsea icon was livid, and reportedly still is to this day, that his Blues were forced out of the tournament in 2005 due to a Luis Garcia phantom goal.

1 comment:

John said...

I'm on your side because I was never someone who appreciated Chelsea brand of football. Here is hoping Javier Mascherano will intercept every Blues attack. I'm hoping to see him going one better than Essien as the best defensive midfielder in the world.

But anyway, please check out my match review on all the quarter-finals. Let us have your views and good luck to your team.