Source: SKY_Sports
Rafa targets Anfield win
Rafa Benitez is targeting a win at Anfield as Liverpool go head-to-head with Chelsea once again in the UEFA Champions League.[LNB] Friday's quarter-final draw pitted the two sides against one another for an incredible fifth consecutive season of the elite competition.[LNB]The first leg takes place at Anfield on 8th April before the return match at Stamford Bridge on 14th April - a day before the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.[LNB]In total, the teams have played each other eight times in the competition and honours are even, with each picking up two wins apiece.[LNB]Benitez knows a good result at home is needed as all three of the semi-finals between the pair were won by the team that played away in the first leg.[LNB]He told Liverpoolfc.tv: "Hopefully it won't make a difference to us that the second leg is away.[LNB]"We have to think about the first game at Anfield with our fans behind us and look to get a positive result to take to Stamford Bridge."[LNB]Liverpool lost last season after John Arne Riise, who has since switched to Roma, scored an own goal in the 1-1 first leg stalemate, before Chelsea then won the return match 3-2 after extra-time.[LNB]MistakeBenitez added: "We need to make sure we don't make a mistake in the first leg like we did in last year's semi-final.[LNB]"They will be two tough games but we are playing well and clearly we are confident we can win."[LNB]Liverpool are confident after beating Real Madrid and Manchester United by convincing scorelines in their last two matches.[LNB]But the Blues are also in good form since arrival of temporary manager Guus Hiddink and Benitez knows it will be tough.[LNB]He said: "At this stage of the competition, you know you'll play against a good team. Chelsea are a very good team. We know each other very well and this is an exciting draw.[LNB]"We knew it would be difficult to avoid an English team but we need to approach the two games with confidence.[LNB]"We've done the double over them this season in the league but clearly these two games in the quarter-finals will be different."[LNB]He told Sky Sports News that Manchester United are favourites for the tournament and they have the better side of the draw.[LNB]He welcomed Uefa's announcement that the second leg will not be played on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster, as the club had requested.[LNB]"I think it is good, much better."[LNB]ContractAs regards his new contract, he added that he was "really pleased, really proud to be here, hopefully it will be good for the club and we will try to do our best clearly."[LNB]Asked why it took so long to sort out, he added: "The uncertainty was the key because we had to clarify things and the response of the owners was good and after the last week with all the fans behind us was fantastic so at the end we decided it was the best for everyone."[LNB]Benitez re-iterated that he had always wanted to stay "so for me it was an easy decision in the end but we needed to clarify things and I am really pleased with the answer."[LNB]Asked if he now had control over transfers which he supposedly wanted, he replied that he had the same control that he had before in terms of the possibility to talk with agents or to talk with players about their contract and afterwards to have the chief secretary with him "so I was not asking for more".[LNB]"All the managers in England they have the same responsibility," he said.[LNB]
