Sir Alex Ferguson does not believe Chelsea will have any thoughts of revenge ahead of their Champions League quarter-final meeting with Manchester United. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who acquired the club in 2003, has done little to dispel the notion that his primary target is to win the Champions League, and the Blues came within a penalty kick of taking the trophy when they faced United in 2008. The clubs will meet in the competition again for the first time in Wednesday's first leg at Stamford Bridge, but Ferguson believes they will have put their misery in Moscow out of their minds.
"I don't believe players think about revenge," Ferguson said. "Something that happened three years ago goes out of your mind quite quickly. "The main ambition for any team is to win the cup. The motivation is greater to the match than to think about what happened in the past. "He added: "There is no question it is Abramovich's driving force. He wants it the most. That is why he has paid £50 million for Torres. They will be desperate to win the European Cup, but no more desperate than we are." Ferguson acknowledges that this year's United may be at a disadvantage in comparison to their predecessors of 2008 - "There is one major difference - there is no Ronaldo," he said - but he may be boosted by the early return of Rio Ferdinand.
Chris Smalling has impressed alongside Nemanja Vidic while making the breakthrough, though, and while Ferdinand has made the trip south, it remains to be seen whether the former England captain will be risked at Stamford Bridge. "I don't know about Rio," Ferguson said. "He had ten days physical work and has been training with us on the football side for seven. He does have experience and is a fantastic footballer."
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