Football
Ian Holyman, France correspondent 9y

Zlatan Ibrahimovic keen to play both games against Chelsea in UCL last-16

Zlatan Ibrahimovic hopes that this time he will be fit enough to face Chelsea in both legs of Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 tie after missing out last season.

Ibrahimovic, 33, suffered an injury to his right thigh in PSG's 3-1 triumph over Chelsea in last season's quarterfinal first leg at the Parc des Princes.

The Swedish superstar was forced to sit out the return fixture at Stamford Bridge where he saw Demba Ba score three minutes from time to secure a 2-0 win for the Premier League side and send them through to the last four on away goals.

He has also been dogged by a persistent heel injury this season which has limited his involvement and has raised doubts over whether he will be 100 percent fit when the Champions League resumes in February.

"As expected, we have been drawn against a very strong opponent and I am looking forward to playing against them," Ibrahimovic wrote on his app, Zlatan Unplugged, after Monday's knockout stage draw at UEFA headquarters once more pitted the two sides against each other. "This time, I hope to play both matches."

Speaking after the draw, the French champions' deputy sporting director, Olivier Letang, told the media that Laurent Blanc's men had learned from their bitter exit.

"We were just three minutes away from the semifinals," he said. "You always learn something from a defeat. So it's good to return to London to test ourselves against Chelsea. The players have a chance to take revenge."

Though PSG lie second in Ligue 1 behind Marseille, their form has been less impressive than that of Jose Mourinho's men. Beaten for the first time in all competitions this season by Barcelona (3-1) in their closing group stage game last week, PSG suffered a first defeat of the Ligue 1 campaign at Guingamp on Sunday as they fell 1-0.

RMC reported that following Monday's training session, the PSG squad got together to discuss the team's current problems, focusing notably on the lack of committment shown by a number of players, before watching the Champions League draw together.

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