Chelsea ace Frank Lampard has played down talk of the players' influence on Roman Abramovich extending the stay of manager Roberto di Matteo.

Lampard, who will captain Chelsea on Saturday night, was asked whether he and other senior players would lobby Abramovich to keep Di Matteo on.

"People think that we ring up the owner now and again and decide who comes and who'll be sacked," Lampard said.

"That's not how it works at this club. It shouldn't be like that at any club. As a player, you do your best for the club. A decision like that is taken out of your hands.

"If you start thinking like that, you'll take your eyes off the ball. I won't think like that. But if we win, I'll be really happy for the manager."

The midfielder nevertheless praised the impact Di Matteo had made.

"He's been very clever in how he's managed the situation," he said. "We were struggling for confidence on the pitch and, rather come in and make drastic changes, he spoke to everyone individually and created confidence in the group.

"We got wins, the Napoli game changed everything and from then on, quietly, he's done a perfect job. If anyone deserves to win this game, it's him."