Ben Chilwell has described tonight’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Leeds United as “all or nothing.”
The England international and his team mates will be looking to put the disappointment of the Carabao Cup final behind them and put in a strong showing at Stamford Bridge.
The pressure has really ramped up on Mauricio Pochettino and his players since the defeat at Wembley and the fans will be expecting a response.
Tonight will be the latest instalment in the rivalry between the two clubs and will be the first time the two teams have met in the FA Cup since the famous 1970 final.
It’s a rivalry that isn’t lost on Chilwell and speaking in tonight’s match programme he said: “I knew about Chelsea-Leeds before I played for Chelsea, it’s not a game that you come to Chelsea to get told about, you know about that rivalry anyway.”
“So, an FA Cup tie, where it’s all or nothing, is going to be a great game. It’s also an opportunity for us to get on another cup run.”
With the Blues struggling down in 11th in the Premier League winning the FA Cup could present the best opportunity of playing European football next season.
Chilwell has seen his season plagued by a hamstring injury which has limited him to just 16 appearances in all competitions but the 27 year old seems to have put that behind him and is back playing regularly and has started the last four games.
