Chelsea interim boss Roberto Di Matteo has insisted that his players must show the right attitude ahead of their Champions League second-leg clash with Benfica, as it is only “half-time” in the quarter-final.
The west London outfit go into Wednesday’s match with a 1-0 aggregate lead after victory in Portugal thanks to Salomon Kalou’s second-half strike.
But the Italian stressed that the Blues still face a tough task if they are to set-up a semi-final meeting with either Barcelona or AC Milan.
“It is a danger,” he told reporters. “It is half-time and we are winning 1-0. Our players are aware of this and they know they need to have the right attitude.”
Chelsea are looking to lift the Champions League for the first time in their history, but Di Matteo believes that the club has proved its pedigree.
“If you look at the last decade of this club it’s become a domestic and international force, always fighting for domestic titles and internationally it’s not quite happened, but I don’t think it takes any shine off this club,” he declared.
The 41-year-old sprung a number of changes for the first leg of the tie but downplayed the importance of his decisions.
He added: “I didn’t think it was a brave selection. I thought it was the right selection for the players that we had and the game away at Benfica.”