Wendel gees Bordeaux up for Chelsea battle

Wendel winner
Bordeaux have never progressed beyond the group phase in the competition, but back-to-back victories against the Romanian champions have put them firmly in the hunt after kicking off Group A with a pair of demoralising defeats. After Yoan Gouffran and Dani had traded goals in the early stages, 26-year-old Brazilian Wendel won the game for Bordeaux with a brilliant free-kick seven minutes before the break to bolster his club's ambitions with two games to play.

'Feels great'
Having clinched the points, Wendel challenged his side to maintain the momentum for the visit of Chelsea on 26 November. "It feels great every time you score and I'm happy, but above all for the three points, for the victory," Wendel said. "We have to keep this same spirit for the game against Chelsea. We have two very difficult matches to play and we will have to give everything, but if we do, why shouldn't we finish second in this group?"

Surprise
Bordeaux are level on six points with AS Roma, who were unexpected 3-1 winners against leaders Chelsea in the evening's other Group A encounter. With only three points separating the London club and fourth-placed CFR, the section is wide open. Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh also insisted his side could spring a surprise against Chelsea, who kicked off the campaign with a resounding 4-0 win over their French rivals on 16 September.

'Very pleased'
"I'm very pleased because we played the match we had to play," Chamakh said. "We absolutely had to win this match to get into the competition and now with six points we are in with a chance. We gave everything and we earned our reward. It gives us confidence for the games ahead. If we want to get to the top we will have to do the same thing again and play with a lot of spirit. Now we know what we are capable of. If we can get into the match against Chelsea, I think we can create a surprise."