Drogba: Chelsea are ready for Barcelona test

The Chelsea striker was banned following an infamous expletive-filled rant after the teams last faced each other at the same stage back in 2009, when he felt they had been on the wrong end of some poor refereeing decisions. Despite that, the Blues have a good record against Barca and Drogba is confident his team can pull off what many would consider a shock. “A lot has changed since we last played Barcelona,” he told The Sun. “But our desire to beat them is as strong as ever. “I signed for Chelsea to play in games like this. These are the occasions that excite us all. “We have many memories from our previous games against Barcelona – good ones as well as bad. This tie is 50-50 but we are ready for them.” The 34-year-old is expected to leave Stamford Bridge when his contract ends in the summer. He insists that success is important for Chelsea, whether he is there or not. Drogba continued: “We expect to win something every year at Chelsea. “Last season was a bad one for me because I didn’t win anything so I’m hoping this time it will be different. “But it’s not about what happens in my last year here. Success for Chelsea is the most important thing.” The striker also admitted he has found rotation hard to deal with, but will not mind if Fernando Torres starts against the Spanish champions. He added: “Rotation is new for me but there is nothing bad about it if the team is winning games and going forward. “Of course I would like to play in more game but so would all the other players so I can’t complain.” The first leg of the semi-final takes place at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.