Ronaldinho's frank admission

By Brian Brownstein

Barcelona FC talisman Ronaldinho has singled out England midfield player Frank Lampard as the main threat to the Primera División leaders ahead of the second leg of their UEFA Champions League meeting with Chelsea FC.

Midfield threat
The Brazilian thinks Lampard, 26, is José Mourinho's key man and was hugely impressed with him in the first leg at the Camp Nou in Barcelona. Lampard played a pivotal part in Chelsea's goal, and although the Premiership leaders eventually lost 2-1 in a highly charged game, Ronaldinho fears Lampard has the ability to make a winning difference at Stamford Bridge.

Complete player
"Lampard is the most complete footballer in their side," Ronaldinho told uefa.com. "I like him because he's a creative player on the ball, but also because he knows how to help his team defensively too. He knows perfectly how to cut out opposition attacks by winning the ball back for his team. Lampard does it all and will be a very dangerous player in this game."

Miserly defence
Ronaldinho knows that as well as the threat posed by Lampard going forward, Chelsea's miserly rearguard will provide a stern test for Barcelona's forwards. The London club let in their first goal in eleven Premiership matches against Norwich City FC at the weekend, and have developed a fearsome reputation at the back.

'Impressive defence'
"I was very impressed by Chelsea's defence at the Nou Camp," he said. "They were extremely difficult to break down. Everyone was saying how good they were before the game, and I thought they were every bit as good as their reputation made out.

'Tactical masterclass'
"Chelsea have an excellent back five. Mourinho knew how to keep it tight against us and against me in particular. He has some superb defenders and they all carried his orders out very well, limiting my own chances to create and score goals. Mourinho's tactics were not easy to face."

'Confident of victory'
However, having seen Chelsea close up, Ronaldinho is confident Barcelona will have the edge and should progress to the quarter-finals if things go to plan. He realises that a 2-1 lead is difficult to defend, but has faith his team-mates will do what is required to send the Catalan giants into the last eight.

'Creative force'
"Our 2-1 advantage is a dangerous lead to hold in Europe. We will look to be very strong defensively of course, but we will also be creative in attack because an away goal for us will be crucial," the 24-year-old said. "We won't be all-out defence, or all-out attack, but I believe we will score at least one goal and perhaps we will get several. I am 100 per cent confident we will go through to the quarter-finals. Barcelona will be in the last eight because we have a better team than Chelsea."

'Close contest'
However, Ronaldinho's team-mate Giovanni van Bronckhorst is more cautious. He believes the teams are evenly matched, and makes Chelsea slight favourites because of the away goal they scored in Barcelona.

Lady luck
"The away goal for them is very important and because of it Chelsea will probably go into the second leg as favourites. I think the two sides are equally matched and it's simply down to who performs best on the night and who gets the luck," the left-back told uefa.com. Whichever way the tie goes - it promises to be a mouth-watering contest with both Ronaldinho and Van Bronckhorst playing a crucial part.