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/noticias.info/ Sat, 8th Mar 2008
Michael Ballack is expecting a difficult trip to Yorkshire today, but is confident that if we play to our best we will eliminate Barnsley.

The Germany captain has scored in each of our last two games, and has drawn praise for his performances in the midfield alongside Frank Lampard. Whether Avram Grant chooses to give the pair another outing today remains to be seen, but Ballack is confident we are back to our best after Carling Cup heartache a fortnight ago.

'We are very happy since the defeat against Tottenham. We are a good team with good character and we showed we can deal with the pressure. We have the experience and players for these situations,' he said.

It was Ballack's early goal that put us in command against Olympiacos on Wednesday, a moment that proved decisive in the outcome of the game. A repeat today would be the perfect start.

'It's always good if you can score in the first few minutes, it gives a good direction to the game,' he said, before acknowledging that visiting Oakwell is unlikely to be as straightforward as Wednesday night.

'It's not easy, especially after they won against Liverpool,' he explained. 'Of course it's a different game, we play away from home, and we showed in the past we can beat teams away and we have a strong enough squad. Cup games are always difficult, so we need our fans and we will see.

'We know what is expected of us, and we want to get to the final as well. We won it last year and we're trying again, but it should be very difficult. We have to show the same attitude as Wednesday and if we do this we should be in the next round.'


Ballack was speaking to Real Radio London, whose live commentary of the game can be heard on Chelsea Plus. Kick-off is 5.15 pm.
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