Football
ESPN staff 6y

Eden Hazard: Chelsea need to beat Spurs to boost Champions League bid

Eden Hazard says Chelsea's clash at home to Tottenham is pivotal in their bid to finish in the top four.

Champions Chelsea have lost three of their past five league games and start the match in fifth place, five points behind Spurs in the race for Champions League qualification for next season.

Tottenham are unbeaten in 12 matches and have won their past four but have not won at Stamford Bridge in 28 years. And Hazard says that run needs to continue if Antonio Conte's men are to have any hope of making it back to Europe's premier competition.

"We know it's a massive one if we want to reach our target of finishing in the top four. We're ready to play a good game," the Belgian told Chelsea's official website. 

"I think in the last two or three years especially it hasn't been easy to win against them. Their manager, Mauricio Pochettino, is very good, Harry Kane has been on fire and they have a lot of top players like Moussa Dembele.

"It's a massive derby for the fans and a huge game for us. We are all focused. In France we say a derby is not like a normal game, it doesn't matter how you play, you just need to win. When we play against Tottenham everybody thinks the same.

"We know, for the fans, especially at Stamford Bridge, it's very important because there has been a big rivalry between us in the last few years."

Tottenham raced into a 2-0 lead at Stamford Bridge in 2016, only for Chelsea to come back to draw 2-2, handing the title to Leicester.

And Hazard welcomes the pressure from the Blues' supporters as he looks to add another memorable match in their rivalry with Pochettino's men.

"We drew against them when Leicester won the league, six years ago when Chelsea won the Champions League it put Tottenham out of it," he added.

"We beat them in the League Cup final in 2015 so there have been some very good memories for us, which is why it makes the game so special.

"The supporters put pressure on the players and it's a good game to play in. I like the pressure and the fact the fans go crazy. For me, when we are on the pitch it's the same, it doesn't matter if you are playing Tottenham, Brighton or Swansea, you just go out on the pitch and try to win."

^ Back to Top ^