Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has rejected claims that his side were lucky to win the Champions League last term.

The Blues beat Barcelona in the semi-finals and Bayern Munich on penalties in the final to become European champions.

The defensive nature of the side came under some criticism, and Graeme Souness has recently berated the amount of luck that the Stamford Bridge club received on their route to glory.

However, the Italian boss has stated that Chelsea deserved their glory.

"They said the same about many other managers when they won. You need to deserve everything you get," Di Matteo told Sky Sports.

"And I think we worked very hard for it. We prepared ourselves very well against our opposition. It can't just be that [luck].

"You might need, and you will need, a portion of luck during a competition like this.

"But every team has it to be able to achieve the final target to win it. That's a minor part of it," he concluded.

Chelsea host Italian champions Juventus in their first group game on Wednesday.

By Gareth McKnight