Chelsea stars; Cesc Fabregas and Cesar Azpilicueta have put the 6-0 thumping of Qarabag in the Champions League behind them and are looking forward revenge against Arsenal on Sunday.
The Spanish duo linked up to great effect not long after half-time. Fabregas’s clever cross found the diagonal run of Azpilicueta and he showed predatory instincts and great movement to head in his maiden Champions League goal. That made it 3-0, and before the close, the scoreline had been doubled on an entertaining evening at Stamford Bridge.
‘We have been waiting for a long time to be back playing Champions League, and finally, it arrived,’ Fabregas said.
‘It was a good performance, a good result. You never know if goals could count at the end of the group stage so we just keep going.
‘Personally, I played very well, and the team as well collectively are back to, I wouldn’t say our best, but we are getting there. Slowly, slowly, hopefully, we can be back on top form.’
Azpilicueta was equally pleased with the performance.
‘It’s never easy in the Champions League but we did a good game,’ the defender noted. ‘We started really well until the last minute and we got the reward we were looking for.
‘We had chances to score more, but what I am more pleased about is that the team from the first minute played the game with respect to the opponent, and tried to play our game because we knew we had to start the competition well.’
With our first European test of the season successfully hurdled, attention returns to domestic action and the visit of local rivals this weekend.
‘We are just focusing on Arsenal now which is a tough, tough game on Sunday,’ Fabregas stressed.
‘It’s a very difficult period for us. You could see the coach rotated five players. We have seven games in 21 days, that’s not what we are used to from last year because the Champions League is in the middle and last year it wasn’t there. We have to be on top, and as the coach says eat well and sleep well, and try to recover well for Sunday.
For Azpilicueta, a scorer last night and already a provider of two assists this season in the Premier League, maintaining momentum is the key.
‘It was a really disappointing start, the loss against Burnley. It was not expected by anyone, but the reaction of the team was very good. Now we have had three wins in a row, some tough games, and now we have confidence and we will try to keep going.
‘It’s always special to play against Arsenal, it’s a London derby. It’s true they have lost two games already but we are focused on doing our game in front of our fans at Stamford Bridge. We know the atmosphere the stadium gets into those type of games and we will try to carry on our winning streak.
Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 to claim the FA Cup in May and repeated the same feat in the community shield in August.
A win for Chelsea will further put pressure on the Gunners who have already lost two games in the new season.
Chelsea Stars Put UCL Victory Behind, Focus On Arsenal Revenge
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