Sir Alex Ferguson wary of Chelsea threat

Sir Alex Ferguson believes Chelsea's familiarity with Old Trafford gives them an advantage over other European visitors in the Champions League.

Carlo Ancelotti's side triumphed at the Theatre of Dreams last season, United's last home defeat, and the nature of the all-English tie means the Reds are fully aware of the threat posed by the Londoners.

"A British team coming here is different to a European team," the boss admitted. "Although Juventus and Milan, over the years, have played here a few times.

"For Chelsea, they are here every year. There's a familiarity with the stadium, the size of the pitch, the conditions of the pitch. All these things are in their favour compared with other European teams.
"We'll see - it will be an interesting game."

Sir Alex also feels Chelsea's obsessive desire to win the Champions League can be unhealthy.

The Blues were denied by United at the death in 2008 and have been unlucky at the semi-final stage over the years. The boss admits he had a similar ambition before the Treble-clinching triumph against Bayern Munich in 1999.

"It seems to be an obsession for them and that's certainly why they signed Fernando Torres," he said. "Roman Abramovich, the owner, has nailed his colours to the mast in that respect. I've thought that for quite a while with them.

"But, at the end of the day, it's a very difficult competition to win. All the best teams are there. You see the form of Barcelona at the moment and it's fantastic.

"Can you imagine the Real Madrid v Barcelona semi-final? I'll be going to that!

"To have an obsession to win it, you stretch yourself a wee bit. I had an obsession for a bit, when I lost a few semi-finals.  You say to yourself, you're never going to do it. When we did it in Barcelona [in 1999], it was the greatest feeling of all time and it took the monkey off our back.

"I can understand it but it doesn't make Chelsea any more desperate than us. We'll be desperate to win tomorrow night."