Di Matteo cautious despite Chelsea lead

Chelsea interim boss Roberto Di Matteo insists his side have a lot of work to do if they are to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

The west London outfit go into Wednesday’s quarter-final return leg with Benfica holding a 1-0 aggregate lead after victory in Portugal last week.

But the Italian stressed that his side still face a tough task if they are to set-up a semi-final meeting with either Barcelona or AC Milan.

“It is a danger,” Di Matteo told reporters. “It is half-time and we are winning 1-0. Our players are aware of this and they know they need to have the right attitude.”

Chelsea are looking to lift the Champions League for the first time in their history, but Di Matteo believes that the club has proved its pedigree.

“If you look at the last decade of this club it’s become a domestic and international force, always fighting for domestic titles and internationally it’s not quite happened, but I don’t think it takes any shine off this club,” he declared.

The 41-year-old sprung a number of changes for the first leg of the tie but downplayed the importance of his decisions.

“I didn’t think it was a brave selection,” he said. “I thought it was the right selection for the players that we had and the game away at Benfica.”