Barcelona go to Chelsea with winning mentality

Andres Iniesta says Barcelona are determined to leave Stamford Bridge with a win over Chelsea in their Champions League semi-final.

The first leg will be held at Stamford Bridge in London ahead of a return leg at the Camp Nou, and Iniesta insists his team will adopt an attacking approach against the Blues.

“We will go out with a winning mentality, trying not to commit any mistakes, because they are so costly here,” Iniesta said.

“We always go out to win, but we have to think that this is a two-legged tie and we have two matches coming up. We will have a tough game on Wednesday.”

The 27-year-old scored the decisive goal in 2009 at Stamford Bridge which sent Barca to the Champions League final, and he admitted that he has fond memories of that strike.

“It is nice to remember what happened, what we were lucky enough to experience,” he said.

“It was a very special moment, very intense for everyone, and remembering it is good, but that is in the past.

“This is a different moment and situation. I do not think that what we will experience on Wednesday has anything to do with that happened back then.”

Iniesta then noted that Roberto Di Matteo’s side are different from the one he faced three years ago.

“They have more experience now,” Iniesta said. “They signed some new players, like Fernando Torres and Juan Mata.

“They are very strong, dangerous and intense and all that will be even more noticeable in their stadium.

“We expect a very tough tie and we hope we can do things well to be where we all want to be.”

The midfielder also admitted that this will be a crucial week for his side, who will tackle Real Madrid on Saturday after their continental match in midweek.

“We are playing for a place in the Champions League final and on Saturday we will play to remain in the race for La Liga,” he said.

“But looking at what happened in previous years, we have always been up to the task at these times.

“We are fighting for titles again and we have our chances. We have one final step to take and we hope it will go well.”