CHELSEA have already beaten Barcelona twice under Guus Hiddink.
Confused? Well that is because the matches took place in Hiddink’s head as he prepared for the real clash at the Nou Camp tomorrow night.
The Dutchman’s obsessive preparation includes playing out the entire game in his mind, trying out players, formations and tactics.
His biggest worry remains fielding Jose Bosingwa at left-back against Lionel Messi but Hiddink thinks he is well prepared.
And while the Blues boss was not giving much away, he is quietly confident about his chances against ‘the best team in the world’.
The Chelsea boss said: “You have to think ahead and I have played Barcelona twice in my head.
“In my head, I have never lost a game in preparation! But you have to focus a lot on the difficulty and the complexity of the job Bosingwa has to do.
“In my opinion, Bosingwa is playing one of the most attractive players in the world.”
Bosingwa was subbed after less than hour of Saturday’s 1-0 win at West Ham because of some stiffness in the thigh he injured last month.
But he should be fine to start against Barca, while Alex will return in the centre after the weekend off.
Hiddink is well aware of the threat Messi poses but knows he is not the only danger to be controlled.
He said: “We play against the best team in Europe — probably the world at the moment.
“Although they like to attack, we like to attack as well, but when you play Manchester United or Liverpool, it is a less controlled game and can go either way. Like pinball.
“When you play Liverpool or United or they play us, the pace of the game can go up any second. Boom!
“But Barca are very smart. They can turn the pace of the game up or down. You think you are in control and then all of a sudden they strike.
“They are skilful and have very good possession and can frustrate a team by having possession.
“We must not get frustrated. If they score then we must have the confidence that we can score at any moment.”
Despite the enormity of their task, Stamford Bridge favourite Gianfranco Zola has told Chelsea’s players they will become legends if they win the Champions League.
Zola — voted as the Blues’ greatest ever player — says Frank Lampard and John Terry will replace him in that category if they achieve glory.
The Hammers boss said: “I’m sure there will always be someone who beats records and who beats the previous guys.
“Hopefully, that will be people like Frank and John because they love the club. Chelsea have fantastic fans and I hope they can give the same respect and love they gave to me to others like John and Frank.”
The Italian played against Barca in 2000 and was on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing.
But while many are predicting the Catalan team will win, Zola thinks it will be much closer.
He added: “I don’t think there were many people giving Chelsea too much of a chance when they played Liverpool in the quarter-finals and they made it.
“This team has the desire to win so don’t be surprised if they produce an incredible game and maybe win on Tuesday.
“The core of the team is strong and they will try everything to win.”
Meanwhile, Michael Essien has vowed to put a nightmare season behind him and inspire Chelsea to Champions League glory.
The man many believe is their most important player, spent six months out after picking up a cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty with Ghana.
Axed Blues boss Big Phil Scolari had to try and get by without the midfield battler during his brief spell in charge.
It is no coincidence Chelsea’s season turned around when Essien returned to action early last month.
And now the 26-year-old believes he is about to hit top form as Chelsea jet out to Barcelona today.
He said: “I’ve not returned to my best level yet, even though my first few games have been satisfactory.
“I was struggling a bit to finish matches at the start but it’s going better and better.”
Essien’s first start after his injury was the last-16 second-leg tie with Juventus in Turin.
Chelsea held a 1-0 lead from the first leg but Juve scored after 19 minutes to rattle the Londoners.
But Essien struck on the stroke of half-time to give them a 2-1 aggregate lead. The game finished 2-2 and Chelsea were through, thanks in no small part to Essien’s awesome contribution.
With three Premier League clubs in the semis for the third year in a row, English football is the dominant force in Europe’s elite competition.
Essien added: “English clubs dominate in Europe because every week in the Premier League we have to fight to win.
“Against Liverpool, they continued to attack even at 4-4 when they were virtually eliminated.”
The midfielder, who signed a new four-year deal last summer, wants to finish his career at Chelsea.
He said: “At Chelsea, we’re playing for the league title every year, the Champions League and the FA Cup and we have a chance of winning. Every week I play in front of capacity crowds and I live in London. Why change?”
Confused? Well that is because the matches took place in Hiddink’s head as he prepared for the real clash at the Nou Camp tomorrow night.
The Dutchman’s obsessive preparation includes playing out the entire game in his mind, trying out players, formations and tactics.
His biggest worry remains fielding Jose Bosingwa at left-back against Lionel Messi but Hiddink thinks he is well prepared.
And while the Blues boss was not giving much away, he is quietly confident about his chances against ‘the best team in the world’.
The Chelsea boss said: “You have to think ahead and I have played Barcelona twice in my head.
“In my head, I have never lost a game in preparation! But you have to focus a lot on the difficulty and the complexity of the job Bosingwa has to do.
“In my opinion, Bosingwa is playing one of the most attractive players in the world.”
Bosingwa was subbed after less than hour of Saturday’s 1-0 win at West Ham because of some stiffness in the thigh he injured last month.
But he should be fine to start against Barca, while Alex will return in the centre after the weekend off.
Hiddink is well aware of the threat Messi poses but knows he is not the only danger to be controlled.
He said: “We play against the best team in Europe — probably the world at the moment.
“Although they like to attack, we like to attack as well, but when you play Manchester United or Liverpool, it is a less controlled game and can go either way. Like pinball.
“When you play Liverpool or United or they play us, the pace of the game can go up any second. Boom!
“But Barca are very smart. They can turn the pace of the game up or down. You think you are in control and then all of a sudden they strike.
“They are skilful and have very good possession and can frustrate a team by having possession.
“We must not get frustrated. If they score then we must have the confidence that we can score at any moment.”
Despite the enormity of their task, Stamford Bridge favourite Gianfranco Zola has told Chelsea’s players they will become legends if they win the Champions League.
Zola — voted as the Blues’ greatest ever player — says Frank Lampard and John Terry will replace him in that category if they achieve glory.
The Hammers boss said: “I’m sure there will always be someone who beats records and who beats the previous guys.
“Hopefully, that will be people like Frank and John because they love the club. Chelsea have fantastic fans and I hope they can give the same respect and love they gave to me to others like John and Frank.”
The Italian played against Barca in 2000 and was on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing.
But while many are predicting the Catalan team will win, Zola thinks it will be much closer.
He added: “I don’t think there were many people giving Chelsea too much of a chance when they played Liverpool in the quarter-finals and they made it.
“This team has the desire to win so don’t be surprised if they produce an incredible game and maybe win on Tuesday.
“The core of the team is strong and they will try everything to win.”
Meanwhile, Michael Essien has vowed to put a nightmare season behind him and inspire Chelsea to Champions League glory.
The man many believe is their most important player, spent six months out after picking up a cruciate knee ligament injury while on international duty with Ghana.
Axed Blues boss Big Phil Scolari had to try and get by without the midfield battler during his brief spell in charge.
It is no coincidence Chelsea’s season turned around when Essien returned to action early last month.
And now the 26-year-old believes he is about to hit top form as Chelsea jet out to Barcelona today.
He said: “I’ve not returned to my best level yet, even though my first few games have been satisfactory.
“I was struggling a bit to finish matches at the start but it’s going better and better.”
Essien’s first start after his injury was the last-16 second-leg tie with Juventus in Turin.
Chelsea held a 1-0 lead from the first leg but Juve scored after 19 minutes to rattle the Londoners.
But Essien struck on the stroke of half-time to give them a 2-1 aggregate lead. The game finished 2-2 and Chelsea were through, thanks in no small part to Essien’s awesome contribution.
With three Premier League clubs in the semis for the third year in a row, English football is the dominant force in Europe’s elite competition.
Essien added: “English clubs dominate in Europe because every week in the Premier League we have to fight to win.
“Against Liverpool, they continued to attack even at 4-4 when they were virtually eliminated.”
The midfielder, who signed a new four-year deal last summer, wants to finish his career at Chelsea.
He said: “At Chelsea, we’re playing for the league title every year, the Champions League and the FA Cup and we have a chance of winning. Every week I play in front of capacity crowds and I live in London. Why change?”