Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea responded to critics in the best way possible, with a 2-1 win over Portuguese club Benfica, in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
The Blues will now face defending Spanish and European champions Barcelona in the semi-finals and will be eager to take to the field against the mighty Catalans, fuelled by memories of their 2009 semi-final defeat at their hands.
The London club's star midfielder Frank Lampard, whose 21st minute penalty strike set the Blues on the road to victory, has spoken out on the confidence within his club's dressing room and their eagerness to play Barcelona.
"Everyone has unfinished business with them. You have to respect they are the greatest team in the world - they have been and still are. They are going to be favourites because of the way they are playing. We know we'll have to perform at our absolute best to beat them and we believe we can do that," Lampard was quoted as saying in a report by The Sun.
However, not everyone is as optimistic as Lampard.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (who now coaches Barcelona's domestic rivals Real Madrid and will lead them out against German side Bayern Munich in the other semi-final) is pessimistic of his old side's chances.
"Let me be honest, I don't think the final will be Real Madrid against Chelsea. It can be Bayern, it can be Barcelona, I just don't think it will be Real Madrid and Chelsea," Mourinho said, with a great deal of candour, in a BBC report.
The Portuguese manager also emphasised he intended to stay at Real Madrid for the foreseeable future and insisted rumours linking him to Manchester City next season were untrue.
"Somebody said that I have a signed contract with Man City and it's completely untrue, so I'm not happy with news that has nothing of the truth," he said.
