Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is keen for his side to show a reaction against Lille on Wednesday night. Zouma and the rest of the Chelsea defense were criticized for a poor performance against Everton, but the Frenchman is focused on a new and important challenge in the Champions League.
Chelsea must win to secure qualification into the last-16. A draw would leave it out of their hands and a loss would see them knocked out and fall into the Europa League. The 25-year-old sees it as a must-win game.
Speaking to the club website before the game, Zouma said: ”We just know the game tomorrow is important and we just want to win it to go through. It’s like a final for us, a must-win match. The results from the games before we didn’t keep a clean sheet but we have been playing well.”
It seems that the squad is in the right frame of mind for the game against Lille, and will be further boosted by the return of Antonio Rudiger.
When asked about the importance of the German defender’s return, Zouma added: ”Rudiger is an important player for us. He’s a very experienced player and we know the qualities he has. It’s good to have him back, he has no pain and he’s feeling good so he can help us in the games like every player in the squad.”
Rudiger and Zouma could make up the center-back partnership on the night if Lampard decides to bring him straight into the line-up. The Chelsea boss will be keen to get his team selection spot to give Chelsea the best possible chance of progressing.
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