Cesar Azpilicueta has urged Chelsea to ‘bounce back’ from their Champions League exit in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City.
The Blues face Leicester at the King Power Stadium just four days after they were knocked out of Europe by Barcelona.
The first leg at Stamford Bridge finished 1-1, but Barcelona cruised through with a 3-0 victory at the Nou Camp thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele.
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Azpilicueta wants his teammates to put the defeat behind them and keep their FA Cup hopes alive with victory over Leicester.
‘After a defeat, and going out of the Champions League, we have a chance to bounce back and get through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup,’ the Spanish defender said.
‘It’s a massive trophy to get and it’s the only chance we have this year so for all the fans and the club it will be a great opportunity to get back to Wembley. It’s the one.
‘It’s the only chance we have so we have to go for it and I’m sure the team will fight very hard to get into the semi-finals.
‘We have two months ahead of us to finish in a strong way, to fight for the FA Cup and to get into the top four, so we have targets to fight for and I’m sure we will do it.’
Following the international break, Chelsea face Tottenham in a match that could determine which London club qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four.
‘I think we have these two targets and we have to go for both of them,’ Azpilicueta added.
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‘Today is a massive game, we know we are playing against a tough team in Leicester and after the international break we have to come back and try to get the top-four spot.
‘We will go for it. We know that every year it becomes harder and harder to get into the Champions League and we have to know that we must fight really hard.
‘We are fifth at the moment and we have to recover all of the points that we lost in the past.’
MORE: Ross Barkley sees World Cup hopes crushed by Gareth Southgate
Cesar Azpilicueta has urged Chelsea to ‘bounce back’ from their Champions League exit in Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Leicester City.
The Blues face Leicester at the King Power Stadium just four days after they were knocked out of Europe by Barcelona.
The first leg at Stamford Bridge finished 1-1, but Barcelona cruised through with a 3-0 victory at the Nou Camp thanks to goals from Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele.
More: Football
Azpilicueta wants his teammates to put the defeat behind them and keep their FA Cup hopes alive with victory over Leicester.
‘After a defeat, and going out of the Champions League, we have a chance to bounce back and get through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup,’ the Spanish defender said.
‘It’s a massive trophy to get and it’s the only chance we have this year so for all the fans and the club it will be a great opportunity to get back to Wembley. It’s the one.
‘It’s the only chance we have so we have to go for it and I’m sure the team will fight very hard to get into the semi-finals.
‘We have two months ahead of us to finish in a strong way, to fight for the FA Cup and to get into the top four, so we have targets to fight for and I’m sure we will do it.’
Following the international break, Chelsea face Tottenham in a match that could determine which London club qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing in the top four.
‘I think we have these two targets and we have to go for both of them,’ Azpilicueta added.
More: Football
‘Today is a massive game, we know we are playing against a tough team in Leicester and after the international break we have to come back and try to get the top-four spot.
‘We will go for it. We know that every year it becomes harder and harder to get into the Champions League and we have to know that we must fight really hard.
‘We are fifth at the moment and we have to recover all of the points that we lost in the past.’
MORE: Ross Barkley sees World Cup hopes crushed by Gareth Southgate
