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.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
In its bid to increase liquidity in the foreign exchange market, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced second tranche of dollar sales to eligible Bureau de Change (BDC) operators at
Nigeria's headline inflation rate hit a record high of 31.70 per cent in February 2024. This is an increase of 1.80 per cent from 29.90 per cent recorded in January 2024
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu, has lifted economic sanctions imposed on Niger Republic and also ordered the opening of air and land borders with the West African nations. According to a statement signed
Drop in priority funding and crises in different parts of the world have been identified as some of the factors posing threats to campaigns promoting the rights of women by various women’s
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Follow Us