Teamtalk teamtalk

Away goal gives Anelka hope

Sat 05 Apr, 04:00 PM


Former Fenerbahce striker Nicolas Anelka insists Chelsea's hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals remain high.Chelsea lost 2-1 in the opening game in Istanbul despite leading 1-0 though a Deivid own goal in the 13th minute.

Two late goals left Chelsea with some work to do in the second leg but Anelka is adamant their away strike could be crucial when the two sides meet at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

"Despite that result, we have good hopes thanks to our away goal," said Anelka.

The Frenchman enjoyed a stint at Fenerbahce from 2005 to 2006 and he insists his former club were not underestimated in the first leg.

Anelka was impressed by the way they played but remains confident Chelsea can overturn the deficit.

He added: "We knew it would be difficult, with that very attacking new Turkish football. Opening the scoring, we believed we achieved the most difficult part of the job.

"We had a lot of opportunities but their fans showed great support, so they scored and they got back trust."

Chelsea hope to have goalkeeper Petr Cech back for the clash with Fenerbahce.

The Czech Republic international has been struggling with an ankle injury for a few weeks but coach Avram Grant claims he is on the brink of full fitness.

"Cech had made a lot of improvement and we need to see where he is at the end of the recovery period," Grant said.

"He is better than 50-50, he is almost ready. It will be a medical decision. But we have other goalkeepers who have done a good job this year."

More Football News from TEAMtalk