Izuchukwu Okosi
Ahead of Wednesday evening’s (October 5) UEFA Champions League Group E meeting between Chelsea and AC Milan, former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has urged his teammates to keep their focus and ensure victory.
The Blues have started their 2022/2023 Champions League campaign on a shaky note with a defeat and a draw against Dinamo Zagreb and RB Salzburg respectively.
Graham Potter will be hoping that his new managerial career at Chelsea is not quickly judged on his ability to navigate past strong oppositions like the Italian champions and Aubameyang will be one of the key players to help in that regard.
“Maybe we will get our first three points at home,” the 33-year-old noted with expectation ahead of the Champions League meeting against his former club tonight.
“I think this is really important – if we want to qualify we have to win the game.
“These two games are key and we will have to show character like we did against Crystal Palace on Saturday and win those two games.”
The first two matches were, arguably, the easiest with AC Milan now awaiting Chelsea in the next two group games, both of which could be group-defining depending on results between Zagreb and Salzburg.
Chelsea won their first match under Potter at the weekend in a late 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, but they needed a moment of brilliance from Conor Gallagher in the 90th minute to snatch all three points in the London derby.
Aubameyang was on the scoresheet to start the comeback in the capital, netting on his league debut for the Blues after arriving from Barcelona in the summer.
Aubameyang admits the importance of the European affair, stating that they have to win at all costs.
“Maybe we will get our first three points at home,” admitted the 33-year-old ahead of the Champions League clash.
“I think this is really important – if we want to qualify we have to win the game.
“These two games are key and we will have to show character like we did against Crystal Palace on Saturday and win those two games.”
Reflecting on the Palace win in which he scored his first league goal for the club, Aubameyang added: “This victory gives us a lot of confidence.
“I think, as a group, getting that first win was really important for us as a team and for the new manager, so we are really happy.
“Getting the victory away from home is also a big step and I think this is very good for us going into a big run of tough games now.”
Chelsea will need all of the squad at their best with Potter knowing the next six weeks are important ahead of the World Cup break.
“We’ve got a really intense period. We need everybody; it’s impossible to play with 11 players,” said the Chelsea head coach, Potter had also said during the press conference.
The Stamford Bridge landlords were handed a welcome boost on Tuesday morning at their Cobham training centre after Edouard Mendy, Marc Cucurella and N’Golo Kante all featured in training ahead of the game.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
