MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 03:21:19| >> :600:223984:223984:
Dec 10, 2019 at 8pm UK at ​Stamford Bridge
Chelsea
2-1
Lille
Abraham (19', 19'), Azpilicueta (35', 35')
FT(HT: 4-0)
Remy (78', 78')

Tammy Abraham targets Champions League meeting with Barcelona

Tammy Abraham targets Champions League meeting with Barcelona
© Reuters
The striker scored as the Blues saw off Lille at Stamford Bridge.

Tammy Abraham has declared Chelsea "ready for anyone" in the Champions League's last 16.

Abraham notched his 13th Chelsea goal in all competitions this term in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Lille which secured the Blues' progression from Group H.

And the 22-year-old England striker insists Frank Lampard's developing side will not fear any opponents in the knockout stages of Europe's top competition.

Tammy Abraham in action against Lille
Tammy Abraham in action against Lille (Adam Davy/PA).

"This is exciting, very exciting – for us, we're never ones to back down from a challenge," said Abraham.

"We want to play against the best teams in the world and play in the best stadiums in the world, so for us it is exciting times. No fear.

"We're ready for anyone. I would love it if it is playing at the Nou Camp or somewhere I've never played before.

"From our first game in the competition we realised how big it was.

"It's a massive achievement for us to be through to the last 16.

"And it means the world to me, it's a dream come true to have watched the Champions League as a young kid growing up and now to be playing in it myself.

"But now it's also about knuckling down and focusing on the Premier League until the new year."

Chelsea lost their first Group H game 1-0 at home to Valencia, leaving Lampard's men facing a battle to reach the knockout stages.

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 10, 2019

A 2-2 draw at Valencia last month left the Blues seeking victory over Lille to guarantee progression to the last 16 and Abraham and captain Cesar Azpilicueta bagged the goals to seal the deal.

Last term's semi-finalists Ajax were dumped out of the competition courtesy of a shock 1-0 loss at home to Valencia, underlining the strength of Chelsea's achievement in reaching the next round.

Abraham tapped home to cap an impressive five-man move to open the scoring, leaving the Chelsea academy graduate delighted by his side's ability with the ball.

N'Golo Kante chested down Mateo Kovacic's raking pass for Christian Pulisic to feed Willian out wide. And the Brazil forward then cut back from the byline for Abraham to tap home at the near post.

Abraham admitted Lampard has added a level of fluidity to Chelsea's attacking play that will give opponents pause for thought.

Asked if the build-up to his goal points Chelsea's way forward under Lampard, Abraham replied: "Yes, definitely. For us, that wasn't even our best performance.

"But that goal just goes to show the class we have in our team and we have to do more of it.

"It's always nice to have players who can play in different positions and can fill different roles for the team.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard celebrates his side's victory
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard celebrates his side's victory (Adam Davy/PA).

"For us it's just about helping the team as much as possible, whether that's scoring goals or defending, it's about helping as much as we can.

"We had one job to do, and that was to get the three points. And that's what we did.

"The experienced players really stepped up today and that's exactly what we needed."

body check tags ::

Click here for more stories about Tammy Abraham

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
Instagram - Follow Sports Mole
Willian in action for Chelsea on October 2, 2019
Read Next:
Juventus 'make contact with Chelsea over Willian'
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.

Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16151040142646
2Leicester CityLeicester16122239102938
3Manchester CityMan City16102444192532
4Chelsea169253124729
5Manchester UnitedMan Utd166642519624
6Wolverhampton WanderersWolves165922319424
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs166553023723
8Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd165741916322
9Arsenal165742424022
10Crystal Palace166461418-422
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166461723-622
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton165472024-419
13Burnley165382129-818
14Everton165291928-917
15Bournemouth164481824-616
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham164481828-1016
17Aston Villa164392328-515
18Southampton164391835-1715
19Norwich CityNorwich1632111734-1711
20Watford16169930-219

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
Ultra close-up image of Kevin De Bruyne [NOT FOR USE IN ARTICLES]Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!