“That’s what we want” – Ex-Chelsea star Willian highlights Fulham ambition ahead of Stamford Bridge return
Fulham forward Willian has shared his thoughts on facing his former club Chelsea in the Premier League on Friday, January 3.
The winger explained that the Cottagers are only looking to win and secure all three points. They beat the Blues 2-1 at home less than a month ago, on January 13. However, Fulham have been winless in three games across competitions since then.
Speaking about the upcoming clash against Chelsea, Willian said (via Fulham's website):
“It’s always what we want, to win games. Sometimes we didn’t win, for example the last two [league] games, but I think we deserved much more. Tomorrow hopefully we can go there and get at least one point, but the main thing is to always – whether we’re at home or away – play to win the game. That’s what we want.”
Fulham are currently seventh in the Premier League table, two points above the Blues, who are 10th but have a game in hand.
Willian, meanwhile, will be returning to Stamford Bridge in Fulham colors for the first time. He played 339 games for Chelsea in all competitions, scoring 63 goals and providing 62 assists.
Our 2017/18 Goal of the Season from @willianborges88! ☄️ https://t.co/ss7Zpx9JJq
The Brazilian then left the club in 2020 to join rivals Arsenal before moving to Corinthians and now Fulham. He has scored two goals and provided three assists in 15 games across competitions for the newly-promoted side.
Chelsea manager Graham Potter on facing Fulham soon after losing to them
In his pre-match press conference, Graham Potter shared his thoughts on facing a team just a few weeks after losing against them. He highlighted Joao Felix's red card in the Portuguese forward's debut game which put Chelsea on the back foot.
FT: Fulham 2-1 Chelsea.
Chelsea in their last 9 Premier League games: 5x lost, 3x draw, 1x win. They remain 10th in the table. https://t.co/qGC2O4VUie
Potter said (via Football.London):
"We'll see. We're looking forward to the game and the memory of defeat is still there for us. We felt that, of course, and it was at a low point for us in terms. We played a little bit better than getting no points, but losing Joao [Felix] after an hour and going down to ten men summed up the moment we were in."
He added:
"Then it was about showing strength and being together, which we did, and we've come through that period. At the same time, it's not a nice memory losing that game."
Chelsea have won just one of their previous five Premier League games and will hope to gain some winning momentum by beating Fulham on Friday.