Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta believes Chelsea in store when the two teams meet in the first leg of the Champions League knockout tie on Wednesday.
“We have to keep cool because with such an evenly balanced tie the team that have their heads clear will have an advantage,” Motta told Sport.
“There are bound to be some tricks in store for us but we have to stay cooler than them. The team that remains the calmest will win though and I hope that it is us.”
Last season Chelsea were accused by UEFA of making false declarations and “deliberately creating a poisoned and negative ambience” after they refused to attend a post-match news conference and submitted a report claiming Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard had tried to influence referee Anders Frisk.
Motta said he was unworried by reports that Chelsea had deliberately allowed their Stamford Bridge pitch to deteriorate to impede Barca’s game.
“That’s their choice,” he said. “We have taken a totally different option (Barca have re-turfed the Nou Camp ready for the return leg) and they could complain about that.
“It will affect us because it is a difficult ground to play at because the crowd are so close and the grass is in bad shape, but in a tie like this each team will do whatever’s best for them. We just have to adapt.”
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