It's safe to say that Maurizio Sarri will raise the eyebrows of a fair few football fans after he claimed that reaching the EFL Cup final is more difficult than that of the Champions League.
The Blues are still in contention for a top-four finish this season and would secure a coveted spot in Europe's elite club competition.
Ahead of Chelsea's clash with Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Monday, the 60-year-old Italian manager was asked if it was easier to reach the Champions League through the Europa League route or finishing in the top four.
"The Premier League is really very difficult, for getting in the final of the League Cup we had to play against Liverpool, against Tottenham [Hotspur] [and] the final against Manchester City," he said.
"It was easier to get to the final of the Champions League."
The former Napoli head coach didn't stop there, especially as he questioned the importance that fans place on Europe's top-tier competition.
"I think many give to the Champions League too much importance," he explained.
"Of course, it is the most important competition for clubs, but it is a competition with straight elimination, so sometimes you need a post in [the ball to go in off the post] or a post out [the ball to bounce off the post and away] to qualify or to be eliminated.
"It's clear it's the most important competition for clubs in Europe, and as a consequence in the world, but it's a competition in which you need to be lucky."
While Chelsea would climb to third with a win over Burnley, Sarri will also have his sights set on reaching the Europa League final.
Sarri's men will travel to the Commerzbank-Arena for their first-leg semi-final clash against Eintracht Frankfurt next week.
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