Ricardo Carvalho insists Chelsea recognise they are facing a 'big job' against Olympiakos.
Chelsea defender recognises 'big job' against Olympiakos
Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho insists he and his team-mates recognise they are facing a 'big job' against Olympiakos in the UEFA Champions League.
The Blues welcome their Greek opponents to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday for the second-leg of their last 16 clash, a match which can be seen live on
Sky Sports 3, with the tie evenly balanced following a 0-0 draw in Athens.
Avram Grant's side, who are still challenging for the Premier League and sit in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, had been tipped to qualify with ease.
However, Portuguese centre-back Carvalho is adamant that the Blues are not taking their place in the final eight of the Champions League for granted and that they have been motivated by their recent Carling Cup final defeat to Tottenham.
Problems
"When the draw was done a lot of people assumed that we would just find it easy to get through," Carvalho told the
Daily Star.
"We did not think that and realise we have a big job to do. The defeat against Spurs has untied the players and we know that we still have three major competitions to fight for.
"Olympiakos have players who can cause us problems, especially with the tie at 0-0. They know they only have to score once to cause us real problems.
"The Champions League is one of our really big challenges this season and we know we need to get through."
Team spirit
Meanwhile, midfielder Michael Ballack has echoed Carvalho's sentiments and the German insists Chelsea's team spirit, driven by captain John Terry, will be crucial.
"Team spirit is very important to us," said Ballack. "It comes from John Terry the captain.
"It is a small thing in football, but sometimes during the season you have difficult moments, especially after such a defeat as the final."
