Wednesday 21 November 2012 17:48, UK
Rafael Benitez has confirmed his interest in the Chelsea job after he emerged as the red-hot favourite to succeed Roberto Di Matteo.
The club reacted swiftly to the 3-0 loss to Juventus which took their hopes of reaching the last 16 out of their hands, and put them at risk of becoming the first holders to fail to reach the subsequent knockout phase. The Blues have also failed to win any of their last four Premier League games, a run which has seen them slip from top to four points behind leaders Manchester City. A club statement read: "Chelsea Football Club has parted company this morning with manager Roberto Di Matteo. "The team's recent performances and results have not been good enough and the owner and the board felt that a change was necessary now to keep the club moving in the right direction as we head into a vitally important part of the season." Pep Guardiola was installed as the early favourite in Sky Bet's next Chelsea manager betting but has drifted out with the former Liverpool boss backed into odds-on.