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Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho "hopes to win" his Champions League semi-final second-leg battle with Bayern Munich at the Bernabeu, but says he cannot rely on luck in the tournament, pointing to three semi-final defeats.



Mourinho, who has won the tournament with both FC Porto and Internazionale , says his side "lost the first leg to a goal that was not a goal", whilst Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes - coach of Real's triumph in 1998 - believes his side are "perfectly capable of scoring one goal or more".

The tie is delicately poised after a last-gasp goal from Bayern's Mario Gomez earned them a 2-1 over Real in the first leg.

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Alexis did the same to me as well. He got me yellow carded. There was a little touch and he rolled on the ground 10 times. He definitely made the most of it.

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has voiced his frustration at the manner in which Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez convinced the referee’s assistant to issue a red car to Blues captain John Terry at Camp Nou last night.

Terry was sent off in the 37th minute of Chelsea’s 2-2 draw (a 3-2 win on aggregate) for kneeing Sanchez when both players were off the ball.

Initially, Terry reacted angrily to his marching orders and suggested that the nudge on Sanchez was a sincere attempt to create distance. After watching the replays, the defender agreed that the referee was correct in dismissing him – a disciplinary action that also effectively rules him out of the final in Munich next month.




Mikel, though, refuses to believe that a red card was justified for Terry, particularly because he has accused Sanchez of selling the incident as a hard knee to the back rather than a light nudge that it really was.

“The JT one was soft from what I saw and it was [should have been] a yellow card. I think Sanchez made the most of it,” Mikel was quoted in the Telegraph.

The Nigeria international elaborated: “Alexis did the same to me as well. He got me yellow carded. There was a little touch and he rolled on the ground 10 times. He definitely made the most of it.”

With Gary Cahill pulling out early from last night’s match due to injury, attack-minded right-back Jose Bosingwa was forced to play center-back and did very well to contain Barca’s offense.

Given the suspensions issued to Terry as well as Branislav Ivanovic, it seems that not only will Bosingwa remain an integral part of the defense, but the Blues will really hope that Cahill and David Luiz successfully recover from their knocks ahead of the showpiece finale on May 19.

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Roberto Di Matteo has been backed to keep the Chelsea manager's job on a full-time basis following the Blues' remarkable Champions League victory over Barcelona.

The west London club reached the final of the European competition after drawing 2-2 with the defending champions at Camp Nou on Tuesday, despite being down to 10-men for most of the contest.

Di Matteo is currently only the interim boss following the sacking of former manager Andre Villas-Boas but, after also leading the side to the final of the FA Cup, club owner Roman Abramovich is now being urged to give him the job on a permanent basis.



"I can't speak highly enough of him. Look at the record - it's not coincidence," Frank Lampard said. "He's created an atmosphere, a spirit and determination. What he's done in bringing it together and getting a result like this, and the results we've had before, is amazing."

Di Matteo is the first Blues manager since Avram Grant to take his side to the final of the Champions League. Grant - who enjoyed a close relationship with Abramovich during his time at Stamford Bridge - believes all signs point towards his latest successor being rewarded for his recent work.

"I think Roberto deserves one more year at least but Abramovich sometimes thinks differently," Grant told the BBC. "He has sacked many managers but until now the football was on the way down and the team was on the way down.

"I think in his eyes the team is on the way up and Di Matteo has a chance to continue."

Harry Redknapp also paid tribute to his fellow manager. The Tottenham boss has first-hand experience of Di Matteo's tactical expertise, after losing 5-1 to the Blues in their recent FA Cup semi-final.

"It's an unbelievable achievement," Redknapp told Sky Sports. "You just can't put it into words, how good it was. To play against 10 men, 2-0 down, and come back shows fantastic quality. And in the end they deserved it. They rode their luck but when you've got 10 men playing against Barcelona you need all the luck you can get.

"Great credit to the manager. Robbie's done a great job there.

"He must have a very good chance [of getting permanent job], a great chance. He's done a fantastic job since he took over."

- The Blues skipper will automatically receive a one-match suspension after his red card, ruling him out of the Champions League final, and could see the punishment increased.

Uefa's control and disciplinary body will decide Terry's fate, with a further two-game ban possible, ruling him out of European competition next season if Chelsea qualify.



The automatic one-match suspension will stand regardless and will keep him out of the final on May 19 against either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.

Uefa released a statement on the matter, stating: "The Uefa control and disciplinary body will decide on the suspension on May 31 2012."

Despite Terry's red card for his off-the-ball incident with Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea went on to draw the match on the night, courtesy of goals from Ramires and Fernando Torres, sealing a 3-2 victory on aggregate.

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MANCHESTER City's Edin Dzeko sees the Bundesliga as his escape route from an ultimately unhappy 18 months in England and is likely to make a move to Bayern Munich this summer if an offer comes in.

Dzeko arrived in England in January last year with a reputation buoyed by his high scoring rate -- 66 goals in 111 appearances for Wolfsburg.

But privately City acknowledge that he is a player who needs to be loved - something which is not in manager Roberto Mancini's repertoire - and despite starting the season in electrifying form with six goals in his first three Premier League games, his lack of consistency means the Italian is ready to move him on to help fund new signings this summer.

Though there has been no direct contact from the Allianz Arena, where Dzeko was involved in the notorious touchline controversy which initiated the Carlos Tevez saga last September, a move is quite possible. The feeling at City is that Bayern are the only German club capable of matching the 26-year-old's £100,000-a-week wages.



Impediments

The strength of Bayern's front line - and in particular the presence of Mario Gomez - could be impediments for Dzeko, who wants to feature more often.

But Borussia Dortmund may provide another escape route if Dzeko is willing to take a reduction in wages.

Dortmund, who defeated Bayern last week to go eight points clear of them at the top of the Bundesliga, have identified Dzeko as their No 1 target as a potential replacement for Robert Lewandowski, the Polish striker who has scored 21 in 37 games this season and is expected to leave this summer.

There are suggestions from the Lewandowski camp that City might actually be interested in the 23-year-old Pole, who has been as prolific for Dortmund as he was previously at Lech Poznan.

Though Mancini's priorities lie elsewhere, in the form of Lille's Eden Hazard and Napoli's Edinson Cavani - who performed so well in helping eliminate City from the Champions League in the autumn - Lewandowski certainly appears to fit the City system more than Dzeko. He operates well off a main striker.

Dzeko, for whom City paid out £27million, has been a different type of player and one who has suffered the same problem as Liverpool's £35m Andy Carroll since he signed: an absence of crosses.

Mancini does not generally operate with wingers sending high balls into the box, which generally prevented City playing to his strengths.

The summer may prove to be a complex one in the striker department, with City needing to offload Emmanuel Adebayor and Roque Santa Cruz as they complete the overhaul of players bought at the beginning of the club's development under Mark Hughes. If they can manage that, they may have enough to move for Cavani and Arsenal's Robin van Persie.

Unclear

The future of Mario Balotelli is also unclear and despite the player's public assurances that he will be at the club next season, City know they can never bank on his next move.

A transfer will be considered if the right offer comes in, rather than the club actively seeking to ship him out.

City will want to recoup much, if not all, of their outlay on Dzeko.

These are financially far more straitened times at the club.

The club may also be seeking to move out defender Stefan Savic - possibly on loan, possibly for cash if the initial interest coming from Italy hardens up.

It appears David Pizarro's loan will not be extended.

Barcelona soccer stars were caught up in a furious hotel spat with fans before their crunch Champions League semi-final in London.

A fracas involving Lionel Messi and Dani Alves led to cops being called to London's plush Grosvenor House Hotel.



Soccer fan James McWatt, 19, had spotted Argentinian star Messi in the corridor and asked him to sign a Barcelona shirt with the forward's name on it.

But as Messi went to sign the shirt, teammate Alves began shouting at McWatt and his two friends.



Other players, including Jose Pinto, Adriano, Thiago and Alexis Sanchez, then came out of their rooms and a Barcelona security guard was forced to break up the confrontation.

A video recorded by McWatt on his cell phone showed the players arguing with fans before Brazilian Alves demanded he stopped filming.

Minutes later cops arrived and questioned the student and his friends, before forcing them to leave the £350-a-night ($560) five-star hotel.

The incident occurred before Barcelona's 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final Wednesday.

McWatt, of Manchester, told The Sun: "He was just about to [sign the shirt] when Daniel Alves put his arm in the way and started screaming at us 'No.' He started going mental at us -- shouting and screaming. I walked away and heard it getting really heated and filmed it. We returned to our rooms. But later hotel staff and two police officers came in and told us the Barcelona team wanted us out."

He said they were informed by the hotel they were banned for life and insisted they had not been drinking.

A hotel spokesman said: "An incident involving a small number of guests took place. Four guests were asked to leave and did so peacefully."

- The Catalan coach lamented his side's inability to find the back of net and believes the Blues will play a defensive game in the second leg at Camp Nou next week.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola claims Chelsea have the edge in their Champions League semi-final tie following Wednesday's 1-0 victory for the Blues at Stamford Bridge. A single goal from Didier Drogba just before the break proved the difference between the two sides and earned the west London outfit a crucial lead for the return leg at Camp Nou next week.

"Chelsea are favourites now, but we have 90 minutes ahead and we must try to do our best to go through," Guardiola told reporters at a press conference after the match.

"Our goal is to create 24 chances like we did today and score a goal. We must take same more risks, but I have told my players that if we created chances today, then we will do at Camp Nou as well.

"We know that in order to score, we need to create a lot of chances. "

Barcelona enjoyed the majority of possession during the 90 minutes, but could not convert their superiority into goals against the tenacious Blues.



Guardiola rued his side's lack of inspiration in front of goal and believes that Chelsea will adopt a defensive approach in the second leg.


"The result is what it is," he noted. "We probably had the highest number of chances away from home in a semi-final game, but we know that not scoring on the road will damage you.

"They scored a goal and I imagine that the same thing will happen at Camp Nou, with 10 Chelsea players in their area.

"This is a good goal for us, we will take it and if we want to be considered a big side, we will have to win.

However, the Catalan coach refused to criticise Roberto Di Matteo's strategy, saying. "I am not the one to say how they must play.

"They are the ones who must know how they have to play, but we cannot forget the fact that they have reached the Champions League semi-finals six times in the last nine years.

"Unfair result? No, this is football. You do not win with possession of the ball; if that were the case then we would win all the time.

"You have to score goals and that is what we will try to do in the return leg."

- The Blues skipper feels a repeat performance by his team will see them qualify for the final in Munich and was quick to praise Didier Drogba for his display against the Catalans.



John Terry insisted he was confident Chelsea will reach the Champions League final after beating Barcelona 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in their semi-final first leg.

Drogba’s goal at the end of the first half was enough to give the Londoners victory and the Chelsea skipper praised his side for their efforts and patience in a game which Barcelona dominated possession.



“I thought tonight we had to be patient, we had an awful lot of possession early on, I don’t think we touched it the first 10-15 minutes,” Terry told ITV Sport.

“They are obviously a great side. We had to be really patient. It was a great, tireless performance by everyone.”


Drogba proved to the difference between the two sides, despite the visitors missing a host of chances, and Terry was full of praise for the Ivorian.

“He is incredible, it’s what he’s all about these big occasions, you saw it on Sunday against Tottenham at Wembley,” he added.

“He’s up there against some of the best defenders in the world on his own. It can be frustrating for him at time but he holds it up so well.”

Chelsea now travel to Camp Nou next week for the second week with their captain confident they can progress to a final against either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

“I think clearly it’s going to be tough going there, we cleared a couple off the line, quite clearly they are going to have chances there on a big pitch, they are a great side,” he said.

“We showed tonight we respect them but we are not in awe of them and we’ll do the business.”

Drogba, meanwhile, explained that he felt the Blues felt they had learnt their lessons from 2009 when they were eliminated by Barcelona and was delighted with the result.

“I think we learnt [from the 2009 defeat]. We improved from three years ago because we didn’t concede that goal,” he added.

“We are just happy for the result. It’s a good one, 1-0 at home, is a good result. We will go here and try to score another goal and qualify.”

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