The UEFA Champions League draws were made public a few hours ago and Chelsea FC have learned their round of 16 opponent- Atletico Madrid. Blues boss Frank Lampard has given his reaction to the match-up, a rematch of the 2014 semifinal, saying it’s the toughest draw his side could have received.
Is part of it coachspeak? Yes, it’s definitely a press conferencism to make remarks indicating that your opponent is the most formidable of all, but he’s also right about what a challenge the La Liga said will pose.
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“I think most people will say it is the toughest draw we could have had when you go on current form, how they are doing in La Liga, European experience and the quality of the team and players,” Lampard said to the club website.
“On the other hand all draws are difficult in the Champions League. We have to have believe in ourselves and when that game comes around, you have to try to beat these sort of teams if you are going to win the Champions League, so it is what it is.”
Long time Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois spent three years on loan at Atletico (2011-14), before being sold to Real Madrid in 2018. Center forward flop Alvaro Morata, acquired from Real in 2017, went on loan to Atletico in 2019, and joined the side permanently, earlier this year.
So there are plenty of ties between the two clubs.
“I watched them knock Liverpool out last year and they are obviously a great team,” Lampard continued,
“And they have that experience and they have quality in their squad, so I think most people would say they are certainly one of the toughest teams we could have drawn on paper but we’ll have to turn up and do our job and be confident we can beat them.”
Atletico are 8-2-1 on the season, currently sitting second in the La Liga table. They advanced through to the knockout round as second place finishers in their grouping, behind only the holders, Bayern Munich.
Full Champions League Round of 16 Draw
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Manchester City
Lazio vs. Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid vs. Chelsea
RB Leipzig vs. Liverpool
Porto vs. Juventus
Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain
Sevilla vs. Borussia Dortmund
Atalanta vs. Real Madrid
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.