Benitez: I Will Return to Liverpool

Interim Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez wants to return to Anfield. The Spaniard has risked further angering already unhappy Blues fans by declaring he preferred Anfield to Stamford Bridge. The former Real Madrid youth coach's contract with Roman Abramovich's club expires in the summer.

Benitez spent six seasons with the Reds, for whom he most famously won the Champions League in 2005 and qualified for the final in 2007. The 52-year-old, who has also managed Inter Milan and Valencia, spoke to Spanish newspaper Marca about his future and the possibility of remaining in the Premier League.

"Do I have a chance of staying here? I take it game by game, no more than that. My idea is to keep coaching a competitive team. Why not in England? We have to wait and see. I will return to Liverpool one day almost certainly," he explained, adding his family was actually still living in the city.

He took over from Italian Roberto Di Matteo, the man who led Chelsea to a maiden Champions League crown last season but faced a troubled start to the league and European campaign this term. By the time Benitez arrived at the Bridge, the Blues were already facing elimination from the group stages.

There has been a measure of revival under the Spaniard, with a top four finish in the Premier League a strong probability and success in the UEFA Europa League an equally enticing prospect; Chelsea face Russians Rubin Kazan in the second leg of a quarter final tie, with a 3-1 lead from the first leg.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing though. A section of the Chelsea supporters have been vocal in their disapproval of a former Reds manager at the helm of their club. But Benitez appeared philosophical in the face of their criticism.

"I can't go on denying one by one all the things that they say I have said in the past about Chelsea. It would have created a bigger problem. I have just kept my belief in the team so that these people would end up recognising my work," he admitted.