It is official, Chelsea will be playing Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final. Whilst this may be a perfect setup for Chelsea, former Manchester United striker sends Chelsea a warning.
Odion Ighalo got a debut goal in the 6-1 win over Al Jazira on Sunday to let Chelsea know exactly what he thinks will go down when they face each other on Wednesday.
Chelsea’s last fixture in the Club World Cup came in 2012, months after they had won their first Champions League. Safe to say that it didn’t quite go to plans for the Blues, so this tie around, they will be hungrier than ever to go all the way.
Losing to the Brazilian side Corinthians, Cesar Azpilicueta will not be taking this competition lightly and should push harder than anyone for the win and knock down the obstacle in his way.
Ighalo, a Nigerian international and ex-Manchester United player, has told Chelsea that his team will do whatever it takes to win.
“We are going to play against Chelsea, a good team which I have played against before, so it’s one of those highlights in your career that you’re always going to cherish after you finish playing football.” He told the FIFA Website.
“As you know, the goal of the team and fans is to win and win because this team don’t understand losing. It is to win, and hopefully, we’re going to win and do our best,” he added.
Ten years ago, Chelsea found themselves in a losing battle against Corinthians. The Brazilian’s locked Chelsea out with a 1-0 win in the final. Cesar Azpilicueta watched from the bench for 83 minutes before he was called upon to make an effort to get the Blues back into the game. Unfortunately, there was just not enough time.
Whilst Ighalo sees this as a must-win for Al-Hilal, Azpilicueta will see this as a point of redemption. His reign as captain has known nothing but success, and he will want to continue that legacy. Ten years on, and it’s him who is leading Chelsea into another potential cup victory.
This may be one of the last major cups that Cesar Azpilicueta could lift for Chelsea and his chance to be the first to win everything possible at the club. I am confident that he will lead us to victory this time around, especially with a manager like Thomas Tuchel at the wheel. I wouldn’t trust any other manager more than him to deliver some silverware.
It's your time for redemption, Azpilicueta.
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