Chelsea star Joao Felix makes bold Champions League statement ahead of Borussia Dortmund clash
Chelsea forward Joao Felix has made a bold claim ahead of his side's Champions League Round of 16 clash with Borussia Dortmund this Wednesday (February 15). The Blues will travel to Germany for the first leg of the tie and the attacker has insisted that Graham Potter's men must win the European crown this season.
Chelsea played out a disappointing 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend. Following the setback, Joao Felix explained that the Blues have switched their focus to the Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund as he talked up his side's European ambitions for the season.
CHELSEA vs Dortmund in the Champions League Round of 16… ✅ https://t.co/lHJ4S8HNpx
"Now the focus is on the next game," the 23-year-old said during an interview with Chelsea TV.
"The most important game is always the next one. It’s the Champions League, it’s a competition we want to win. Our Champions League [campaign] starts on Wednesday, and it needs to be ours."
Joao Felix joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid on a loan deal worth €11 million during the January transfer window. The attacker is expected to represent the Blues until the end of the season when his loan deal expires.
Joao Felix's first-half vs West Ham:
4 duels won
3 shots
2 shots on target
2 chances created
2 dribbles completed
1 goal
1 foul won
0.64 xG
[via @OptaJoe]
The Portuguese is off to a promising start at Stamford Bridge. He was a standout performer for the club during their 1-1 draw with West Ham United in the Premier League last weekend, scoring his first goal for the Blues during the game.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter hails Joao Felix's impact against West Ham
Graham Potter couldn't resist showering praise on the attacker after seeing his brilliant performance against the Hammers on Saturday. Speaking after the game, the Blues boss said:
"The first signs were positive. I think he [Felix] is a very gifted individual. Then it’s about how he fits in with the rest of the guys and the team. It’s about the team attacking better and defending better.
"It’s not necessarily about individual silver bullets that can come and fix your problems all of a sudden. It’s not quite as simple as that, although it sounds like a nice way to fix a problem. You have to construct a team.
"I thought he looked the best player on the pitch. (A misjudged tackled) can happen. If you look at the 60 minutes before, he was taking the ball in tight situations, there was real physicality around him, and he was in my opinion the best player on the pitch."