Blues ready for familiar foes

Chelsea secretary David Barnard reflects on being drawn against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League for the fifth consecutive season. The Blues have faced the Reds three times in the semi-finals of Europe's premier club competition and once in the group stages.They came out on top in the last four last season, setting up a final date with Manchester United, but came up short in the previous two meetings at that stage.They are now set to reconvene in the quarter-finals of this season's competition, forming the only all-English tie in the last eight.Barnard is excited by the prospect of what promises to be a mouth-watering contest, and admits neither team will have to do much homework on their opponents."We have played them in the group stage and we have played them in the semi-final stage, there is not much to know about Liverpool that we don't already know," he told Sky Sports News.The first leg of the monumental encounter will be played at Anfield, with the return meeting set for Stamford Bridge.PositiveHistory dictates that the side playing at home in the second leg secures progression, with Barnard hoping that trend continues this year."I think it should help us being away first, it did in the semi-final last year," he added."In previous semi-finals we were at Anfield for the second leg and on all three occasions the team that has been away first has got through."Barnard is also delighted to have avoided English opposition in the semi-finals, should Chelsea get through, with Bayern Munich or Barcelona lying in wait at that stage."Obviously Manchester United we played in the final last year and we have avoided them if we get through. We're quite happy with that," he said.The first legs of the quarter-finals will be played on 7/8 April, with the return meetings scheduled for 14/15 April.

Source: SKY_Sports