Guardiola: Chelsea favourites

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola London - Arabstoday Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has admitted Chelsea are now the favourites to reach next month's UEFA Champions League final following the Blues' 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Didier Drogba's goal in first-half stoppage time was enough to clinch victory in the first-leg encounter. And though Barcelona would hope to score at least once in Tuesday's return at the Nou Camp if they can match last night's incredible tally of 24 chances, by gaining the initiative without conceding an away goal, Guardiola believes the Premier League's sole survivors have the edge. "One-nil is a very good result for them," said Guardiola. "They are the favourites." Aiming to become the first side to retain the trophy in the Champions League era, Guardiola claimed Barcelona were not surprised to encounter a Chelsea side that spend long periods of the game on the back foot. Instead, he felt the burden of responsibility lay with his own team for not making the most of their opportunities. "It's football," he said. "It's not a question about fair or unfair. They'll have 10 men behind the ball, they'll defend, they're stronger than us, they run, they jump more than us. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola on the return leg against Chelsea "Congratulations to Chelsea. We'd win every game if it all was about possession of the ball because our average is more than our opponents. But the most difficult thing in this game is putting the ball in the net, and that's what we couldn't do this evening. "We have to focus on the next game now and try and create the same number of chances. It won't be simple. They'll have 10 men behind the ball, they'll defend, they're stronger than us, they run, they jump more than us. But we have to try and take the game under control and discover a way of scoring the goals." Cesc Fabregas wasted two of Barcelona's clearest openings, whilst Sergio Busquets fired over late on when he seemed certain to equalise. Having dominated European football for three years now, Barcelona's problem is that they have an energy-sapping La Liga confrontation with Real Madrid on Saturday evening, before they tackle Chelsea. "Only winners are remembered," he said. "But my feeling is that being here is already a success. This year has been quite tough. We've had some setbacks, but we've confronted them with great dignity and support. "We'll see if we're able to claim a trophy, but we already have achieved a lot."