Swansea Boss Michael Laudrup is not only winning the tie against his counterpart, Benitez, on the field but also the war of the words off the pitch.

“Chelsea need to reach Wembley more than we do” said Laudrup, an indication that the Blues need more trophies than Swansea at the moment.

A Little Recap :

So, Chelsea, who have literally gifted the first leg to Swansea(thanks to 2 mistakes by the ever consistent Ivanovich) now find themselves 2-0 down before the start of the second leg. Michu and Danny Graham scored the crucial goals that night. Then on, Chelsea went on to draw against Southampton but won a hard fought battle against city rivals Arsenal and look good to defeat Swansea.

What’s At Stake :

Well, for starters,the winner of this tie will reach the finals of the Capital One Cup. But they will also be favorites for that match against Bradford, who are living the dream at the moment after a 4-3 aggregate win over Aston Villa in the first Semi Final.

Swansea, currently are the favorites to win their first ever League Cup. On the other hand, Chelsea could win their 5th Capital One cup. More importantly, Swansea manager Michael Laudrup said that Chelsea must win a trophy considering their current form and season.

Laudrup’s Interview :

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“One of their players(Eden Hazard), and I don’t even talk about the most expensive one, cost more than our squad.

“I imagine that when they pay £30m, £40m or £50m for a player, it’s not just because he’s a nice guy. They want trophies – every year.

“Just like if you are in Barcelona, (Real) Madrid, Man United, Man City, Bayern Munich or Juventus. They don’t ask for that at Swansea.

“If we can get to the final then it will be great.

“Are we the favourites? They won the Champions League last season, so I don’t think so.”

Swansea Team News :

No surprises should be expected from the Swansea lineup, although regular starter and central defender Chico Flores is doubtful with a knee injury.

The dangerous trio of Michu, Rangel and Pablo Hernandez will yet again try to cause the Chelsea back four lots of problems.

Gerhard Tremmel will return in goal having started in all previous rounds of the competition but midfielder Kemy Agustien remains sidelined with an ankle problem.

Chelsea Team News :

John terry is in contention for his first start in over two months.

Nigeria duo John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses are at the Africa Nations Cup while long-term absentee Oriol Romeu (knee) remains sidelined.

Chelsea should start with Demba Ba after Torres’ dismal form continued during the week.

David Luiz’ mysterious foot injury could keep him on the bench once again.

Rest of the team will mostly be unchanged.

Prediction :

Chelsea had some of the greatest comebacks of all time last season in the Champions League. They do their best when written off. But without that same manager and striker, it will be very hard for the Blues. The tougher part is that the game will be played away from Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will win the game tonight but it couldn’t be enough to win the tie.

Swansea 1-2 Chelsea.