AVB confident ahead of European clash

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Under-fire Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas insists his team’s disappointing recent results will not affect morale ahead of their Champions League clash with Napoli.

A league defeat at Everton and a draw at home to Championship side Birmingham in the FA Cup did nothing to ease the pressure on Villas-Boas, who was barracked by Blues fans during both games.

Those performances have led to speculation that another loss could prompt Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to wield the axe.

But Villas-Boas is in defiant mood ahead of the trip to Naples for Tuesday’s first leg.

He declared: “The players will have a different outlook. It is a European game and the Champions League is a competition that everybody wants to win.

“It’s important for us to be competent and to bring the game back to Stamford Bridge with a win or draw – ideally a scoring draw – and then we can finish the business.”

Villas-Boas has hinted that he will be without injured skipper John Terry and is expected to replace Fernando Torres with Didier Drogba.

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