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Graham Potter sends Chelsea message to Champions League rivals after knockout progression

Home> Absolute Chelsea

Updated 13:17 4 Jan 2023 GMTPublished 19:38 26 Oct 2022 GMT+1

Graham Potter sends Chelsea message to Champions League rivals after knockout progression

Chelsea beat RB Salzburg on Tuesday night to secure progression to the Round of 16 in the Champions League.

Sam Collins

Sam Collins

Graham Potter has sent a message to Chelsea's Champions League rivals following their win against RB Salzburg to advance to the knockouts.

The Blues continued their unbeaten run under the new head coach with a 2-1 win against the Austrian league leaders at the Red Bull Arena.

Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz both scored superb goals in a good display to cement Chelsea's place at the top of Group E.

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Potter's side can no longer be caught by the teams below them and will advance into the Round of 16 of the Champions League as group winners.

With victory against Salzburg, Chelsea have now won six of a possible nine since the 47-year-old took over the reigns, drawing the other three games.

READ MORE: Graham Potter hails Chelsea for reaching last 16 of Champions League after RB Salzburg win

There is just one matchday left now for the Blues to contend with, and although they are already through, they will be hoping to get revenge against Dinamo Zagreb.

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In the opening match of the group, the west London side were handed a surprise defeat against the Croatian side in what turned out to be Thomas Tuchel's last game in charge.

However, on the weekend of the reverse fixture, Chelsea will be taking on top of the Premier League table Arsenal, so there could be some rotation against their opponents in Europe.

For Zagreb, it will be a crucial fixture, if they win, they could move up to third place and secure a spot in the Europa League rather than Salzburg.

READ MORE: Newcastle's Bruno Guimaraes stance revealed amid Chelsea's January transfer interest

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Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea in September. (Alamy)
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea in September. (Alamy)

Speaking about this fixture, Potter shared: "We’re at home at Stamford Bridge and we’ll try our very best. We want to win every game we play, that is the mentality we have to have.

"But clearly, we have a game at the weekend and another game the weekend after, so maybe we can rotate a little bit. But we will try our best."

Given the poor start Chelsea had to their Champions League campaign, it is a surprise to see them in such a comfortable position with a game to go.

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The two wins they picked up against AC Milan were pivotal to the success they've had and put them in a much better place.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (R) and Mason Mount (L) of Chelsea FC celebrate after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League. (Alamy)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (R) and Mason Mount (L) of Chelsea FC celebrate after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League. (Alamy)

Following the victory against Salzburg, Potter spoke about the experience of the Champions League to this stage.

He said: “It’s a top competition. It’s amazing and fantastic to be involved in, a real test against some fantastic team and a great experience coming to these venues and experiencing an away match in the Champions League.

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"It’s tough and challenging, but I’ve really enjoyed it.”

In his first ever season managing in the Champions League, Potter will be hoping to take Chelsea as far as he possibly can in the competition.

He has got off to a fantastic start and will be eager for his side to impress further as they head into the Round of 16.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Chelsea, Graham Potter, Champions League, Football

Sam Collins
Sam Collins

Contributor for Absolute Chelsea. Sports Journalism Student.

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@SamCollinsSJ

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