Blackburn pushed Chelsea to extra time but in the end Ballack - and Chelsea’s dogged determination - won over.

It sets of the second of possible three finals between Manchester United and Chelsea.

Blackburn 1-2 Chelsea (match report)

Goal Videos

Blackburn 0-1 Chelsea (Lampard)
Blackburn 1-1 Chelsea (Roberts)
Blackburn 1-2 Chelsea (Ballack)

Blackburn Preview

Despite the disparity in class and quality between the two sides, Blackburn will go into this game thinking they have a shot at playing in Wembley.

To be fair to Chelsea, they outclassed Blackburn the last time the two sides met, with Chelsea winning 3-0.

However, Blackburn should prove to be a stiffer challenge than that time, and with Tottenham’s example in front of them Mark Hughes‘ side will be fighting till the very end.

The only problem I see with Blackburn is that they don’t have the defence to cope with Shevchenko - not even an out-of-form Shevchenko.

Chelsea Preview

Chelsea have the tougher semifinal (United play Watford), and perhaps a tougher period of fixtures as well, with their run-in looking like this:

Chelsea vs Valencia - April 4
Chelsea vs Tottenham - April 7
Valencia vs Chelsesa - Apirl 10
Blackburn vs Chelsea - April 15
West Ham vs Chelsea - April 18
Newcastle vs Chelsea - April 22

It’s not pretty, and there is a lot for Blackburn and Mark Hughes to be hopeful about.

Having said that, the hallmark of Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side has been their ability to get through the toughest of scrapes as winners, and I am confident that come April 15th, Chelsea will be able to beat Blackburn.

Blackburn vs Chelsea Predictions

If Blackburn can score first, the game will be very interesting. Blackburn are always likely to concede, and if Chelsea get a sniff they’re not going to let go of this one.

Coming Soon

I’m going to add match previews, squad updates and latest news surrounding the quarterfinal in the buildup to the 15th April clash. To keep in touch, the best way is to subscribe to the Soccerlens RSS Feed, or use the email subscription box in the sidebar (top) on the right.