Chelsea not practising penalties ahead of Europa League clash

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Rafael Benitez says Chelsea have not been practising penalties ahead of their Europa League game against Steaua Bucharest.

The Blues’ recent 1-0 defeat in Romania means a win for them by the same scoreline in Thursday’s second leg will see the last-16 tie settled by spot-kicks.

But Benitez explained: “With penalties it sometimes depends more on the heart, not just practice.

“We have enough players who can take penalties – and we have confidence we will not go there.”

Chelsea’s loss to Steaua is one of several disappointing results under their interim manager, but he hopes their display against Manchester United on Sunday proves to be a turning point.

They recovered from a dismal start, battling back from two down to draw 2-2 at Old Trafford and were unfortunate not to win the game.

Benitez said: “I think the team at end of the first half was doing really well and in the second half it was the same.

“We saw against a top side like United at Old Trafford that we can do it and hopefully we can keep the momentum.

“We will try to do our best. The Europa League is a good competition and we want to progress.

“We have to keep going until the end [of the tournament] and that means we have to beat Steaua, so we will try to do it.

“They’re a very good team. We will see if we can play our game at Stamford Bridge and if they can cope with the intensity.”

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