Michael Ballack admits he has a burning desire to win his first Champions League with Chelsea.

The German said: "It is always difficult having the second leg away, especially if you don't get the right result in the first one.

"It will give us confidence knowing the return is at Stamford Bridge and I feel we are ready for the challenge. We have had a difficult season with injuries and players at the Africa Cup of Nations but we are getting over that.

"Now I expect a very strong Chelsea team over the next few weeks. We need to be because we face Manchester United in between the two Liverpool games.

"I've been in the Champions League every year for the past decade and went close with Bayer Leverkusen. I really want to win it and it would be fantastic for the club and myself if we could do it this season.

"We must win it because when people look back in 10 or 20 years they will only remember the trophies we won, not the quarter-finals or semifinals we reached."