Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is relishing the opportunity to kick Manchester United out of the Champions League in the same way he did when he was at the helm at AC Milan four years ago. The Blues have been drawn to face Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in what should be a pulsating last-eight stage of the European competition, and the Italian is prepared to recreate the feat achieved with his former club.
Ancelotti told: "Winning the second leg 3-0 in the San Siro to win 5-2 on aggregate [in 2007] was one of my greatest achievements as a coach. "It was a fantastic evening for Milan and a bad one for Manchester. "They were surprised by the way we started that game but it was a tie that was always in the balance."AC Milan were crowned European champions that year after beating Liverpool in Athens.
Ancelotti is now faced with the challenge of becoming the first Chelsea manager to bring the European Cup to Stamford Bridge, with the club’s owner Roman Abramovich thought to be keen on securing continental recognition.
"Winning the Champions League is not an obsession for Chelsea, it is a dream," said the 51-year-old manager. "At Milan the Champions League was the most important thing every year. We didn't focus on winning Serie A.
"Losing to Inter last year was a bad moment for everyone at Chelsea. Now we have to see if we deserve to be in the semis again."The Italian boss also admitted that he is looking forward to lock horns once again in a tactical battle with his United counterpart Sir Alex Ferguson in the beginning of April. He added: "I am always happy to play against United because you know it will be a fantastic game with fair play.
"Sir Alex is one of the greatest managers ever. What I like most about him is that even though he has won a lot of trophies he has always maintained his humility."
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