DZEK OUT HOW GOOD I AM NOW

EDIN DZEKO has warned Chelsea he is an even better player now than when he was scoring goals for Manchester City.

Roma’s 31-year-old striker (above), nominated for the Ballon d’Or, is set to lead the line for the Serie A side in his 100th game for them tonight.

Dzeko said: “I feel great – this is a good spell for me. I’m happy to have been nominated for the Ballon d’Or.” Asked whether he could see himself beating the likes of superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the prestigious award, he laughed: “No, I can’t.

“I’m just happy to be there. But this is also down to my team-mates.”

The Bosnia international has netted 10 goals in 13 matches for club and country this season. Since joining the club in 2015, he has scored 57 goals in 99 appearances.

During his time at City he helped them to win their first League title in 44 years. In total, he scored 72 goals in 189 appearances for the club.

But he insists he is improving with age and is ready to prove as much in the Champions League tonight.

“I think I’m older – better,” he said. “I feel good. I’m healthy and that’s the most important thing. I can be with what I’ve done in Italy.”

Roma have picked up four points from their two Champions League Group C games so far. Dzeko insisted Chelsea’s shock defeat by Crystal Palace on Saturday did not surprise him after his experience of the English top flight’s competitive nature.

He added: “I think that’s the English Premier League. You can win against the best teams and then lose against the last.

“Chelsea is a great team with some amazing players. Tomorrow will be much different game and will be much more difficult for us than it was for Crystal Palace, even though they won the game.

“Tomorrow we’ll play maybe also against an angry, but top team. Their coach will put pressure on them.

“We didn’t come here to play and lose, we came here to give our best and have a positive result.”