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Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka says his current team are as good as the Real Madrid side he won the Champions League with back in 2000.
Anelka, who is likely to start against Fenerbahce in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg, said Chelsea can win the whole tournament.
"Like Real, Chelsea are a big club with a big, big squad," said Anelka.
"We have the quality to win the trophy because of the way we play and the number of big players we have."
Anelka was just 21 when he starred alongside the likes of Raul and Fernando Morientes in Real's 3-0 win over Valencia in the 2000 Champions League final.
The much-travelled striker, who has also had spells with Arsenal, Pars St-Germain, Liverpool, Manchester City and Bolton, spent 18 months with Fenerbahce after joining them in January 2005.
The Turkish champions are unbeaten in their last 11 European games at home, with Inter Milan, PSV Eindhoven and Sevilla among the teams to have come unstuck in Istanbul this season.
And Anelka has warned his Chelsea team-mates they will face a difficult test in the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium.
"We have to stay focused and make sure we play our game, because the atmosphere will be huge and we have to cope with it," he added.
"We have to come back with a draw or a win."
Fenerbahce are coached by legendary Brazil midfielder Zico, and his influence has been clear with his side reaching the last eight of the competition for the first time in their history.
"My philosophies as a player and as a coach are the same - they have not changed," said Zico.
"As a coach you want goals, you want nice clean football and fair play. You want attractive football.
"Our characteristic is to attack and look for goals.
"We fully respect our opponents but we believe that we deserve to be at this stage and we are ready."
Chelsea's run to the quarter-finals has been built on the back of six consecutive clean sheets.
"We try all the time to combine entertaining football and defence but you cannot do it all the time - in the Champions League it's more important to qualify," said Chelsea boss Avram Grant.
"If you play good football you have a better chance to qualify.
"So we will try to do both but the most important thing after these two game is to be in the semi-finals.
"They play good football but we believe in our strength to win, even if we know it will be two tough games."
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Fener Canaries aim to give Chelsea the blues
The Fenerbahce Yellow Canaries will take on English Premiership powerhouse Chelsea, popularly known as the Blues, in their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first-leg clash at Istanbul's Sukru Saracogu Stadium Wednesday evening, local Today's Zaman reported.
The Canaries have already made history by advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time. Now they are bent on improving on that record by making the last four, then playing in the May 21 final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and bringing the coveted silverware home.
It is a tall order indeed, but that's what all the Fenerbahce administrators and fans expect from their players. However, first things first: The Canaries have got to beat Chelsea by a reasonable score Wednesday evening and then defend that lead away at Chelsea next week in order to move closer toward attaining their goal.
Fener coach Arthur Zico said it is imperative his Yellow Canaries win Wednesday. "Fenerbahce is facing one of the most important matches in its history," noted the former Brazil captain.
"We definitely have to win the first match at home. If we concentrate properly we can achieve our aim." The eventual victor is destined to play Arsenal or Liverpool in the semis. The Canaries may be new to the knockout rounds, but winger Boral fearsno evil. "We are talented, fit and strong, so there is no reason for us to fail," he said.
Fener fans will see a familiar face in the opposite squad, their former striker Nicolas Anelka, who is now plying his trade for the Blues. In 1999 Chelsea beat Galatasaray 5-0 in the second leg of their Champions League game at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium and advanced to the next round 6-0 on aggregate, having won the home leg 1-0. If the Canaries oust the Blues over two legs, it would in a way be tantamount to vengeance.
The Canaries have already made history by advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time. Now they are bent on improving on that record by making the last four, then playing in the May 21 final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and bringing the coveted silverware home.
It is a tall order indeed, but that's what all the Fenerbahce administrators and fans expect from their players. However, first things first: The Canaries have got to beat Chelsea by a reasonable score Wednesday evening and then defend that lead away at Chelsea next week in order to move closer toward attaining their goal.
Fener coach Arthur Zico said it is imperative his Yellow Canaries win Wednesday. "Fenerbahce is facing one of the most important matches in its history," noted the former Brazil captain.
"We definitely have to win the first match at home. If we concentrate properly we can achieve our aim." The eventual victor is destined to play Arsenal or Liverpool in the semis. The Canaries may be new to the knockout rounds, but winger Boral fearsno evil. "We are talented, fit and strong, so there is no reason for us to fail," he said.
Fener fans will see a familiar face in the opposite squad, their former striker Nicolas Anelka, who is now plying his trade for the Blues. In 1999 Chelsea beat Galatasaray 5-0 in the second leg of their Champions League game at Istanbul's Ali Sami Yen Stadium and advanced to the next round 6-0 on aggregate, having won the home leg 1-0. If the Canaries oust the Blues over two legs, it would in a way be tantamount to vengeance.
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