[ad_1]
Frank Lampard has described Chelsea’s Champions League round of 16 draw against Atlético de Madrid as the hardest that could have happened to them.
Chelsea received little reward for winning Group E by receiving the most challenging round of 16 task of English clubs, with Liverpool drawing RB Leipzig and Manchester City getting Borussia Monchengladbach.
Despite the scale of the task his team faces, Lampard has insisted that Chelsea will come positively closer to their tie against Atlético, who are joint leaders of La Liga, when the Champions League restarts in February.
“I think most people will say that it is the most difficult draw we could have had when you are in current form in La Liga, European experience, team quality and play. Most people would say that, ”said Chelsea head coach Lampard.
“But all draws are difficult in the Champions League. We have to have faith in ourselves when that game comes around. We will have to beat these types of teams if you want to win the Champions League, so it is what it is.
“Any draw would be difficult, but if you look, they are at the top of La Liga. I saw them knock out Liverpool last year, who are obviously a great team and have that experience and quality in the team. But we will have to show up and do our job and be sure that we can beat them. “
Bayern Munich are currently the favorites to retain their European crown, but the impact of the coronavirus and the unpredictability of leagues across Europe means that this season’s Champions League could be more open than normal.
“Yeah, it feels like that,” Lampard said. “Perhaps Covid has changed the landscape for everyone for different reasons. Some clubs in Europe would normally spend more and move on, but a lot of people stopped it.
“We are in a kind of transition with the arrival of the newer players. But if we can keep improving, we should certainly back each other up even against a team of Atlético’s quality.
“It sure is a very difficult draw, but we must set our sights as high as possible. If you’re going to win this competition, then you have to beat teams like that kind of team, so we have to maintain confidence when that game comes around because like I say, it doesn’t make sense any other way.
“You can’t win a competition of that level if you don’t believe in yourself. The way we move right now, we believe well and hopefully we will have that belief and more in February when everything starts again. “
[ad_2]
