Lights out for City
After Atletico ambush, Chelsea set sights on league leaders
LONDON: Eden Hazard says Chelsea will carry the momentum from their superb Champions League win over Atletico Madrid into today’s Stamford Bridge showdown with free-scoring English Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Having fallen behind to Atletico in Madrid on Wednesday, Chelsea levelled when Hazard teed up Alvaro Morata and snatched a 2-1 victory with the last kick of the game when substitute Michy Batshuayi stabbed home.
City have been in stunning form since the start of the season, but Hazard believes beating Atletico – Champions League finalists in two of the past four seasons – shows Chelsea can compete with anyone.
“Since I came here, it’s the first time we’ve beaten a really good, really strong team in the Champions League,” Hazard told the Chelsea website.
“We did well, from the first (whistle) to the end of the game. That means we are a good team, we have good players.
“We are very confident, trust me, but Man City are also playing well so it should be a good game.
“Two great teams, two great managers. We will see.”
Hazard, 26, has been eased back into the team by manager Antonio Conte after undergoing ankle surgery and following three substitute appearances in the league, he is expected to return to the starting line-up against City.
The Belgian’s return to fitness, and form, is a boon for Conte, whose only gripe after Wednesday’s game was that his team have been left with such a relatively short space of time to prepare for today’s match.
Whereas the west London club did not return home until the early hours of Thursday morning, City’s players have had time to rest up since their 2-0 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Even before their win over Atletico, Chelsea had shown signs of returning to last season’s title-winning form.
Their 0-0 draw with Arsenal two weeks ago represented the only points they have dropped since their shock 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley on the season’s opening weekend.
Morata netted a hat-trick in last weekend’s 4-0 success at Stoke and his goal against Atletico means he has now found the net seven times in eight games since his close-season switch from Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s City know a thing or two about scoring goals themselves, of course, having wracked up no fewer than 16 on their last three league outings against Liverpool (5-0), Watford (0-6) and Crystal Palace (5-0).
Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane have amassed 23 goals between them in all competitions.