Relieved Lampard insists Chelsea are capable of upsetting Barcelona

Frank Lampard admitted he was relieved to get past Benfica – but insisted Chelsea are capable of beating Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals.

Lampard’s penalty helped the Blues secure a 2-1 win on the night at Stamford Bridge and means they can now look forward to a mouthwatering clash with the Catalan giants.

“You have to respect them. They’re the greatest team in the world – they have been and still are,” Lampard told ITV.

“They’re going to be favourites but we’ve got a lot of belief in ourselves. We know we’ll have to be at our absolute best to beat them, and we know we’re capable of that.”

Chelsea endured a difficult night against Benfica despite the Portuguese side being reduced to 10 men five minutes before half-time.

Lampard admitted: “It was a tough game – 1-0 away [in the first leg] is a great result but gives you a conundrum about how to approach it.

“You don’t want to go too gung-ho, but we created enough chances to wrap it up. It’s relief in the end. Benfica are a good team.”

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