Trevoh Chalobah believes Chelsea must enjoy their Champions League campaign after “fighting” for a spot in the competition last season.
The Blues secured their place among Europe’s elite teams with a win against Nottingham Forest on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won two of their three Champions League games this season, losing to Bayern Munich in their opening fixture, and face a trip to Qarabag on Wednesday.
Including the Club World Cup, Chelsea have won 20 of their 23 games in international competition under Maresca (excluding qualifiers), scoring at least once in all 23 matches and averaging 2.9 goals per outing (66 scored in total).
Chalobah insisted Chelsea have to make the most of their reward of reaching the Champions League, including in their match against Qarabag.
“We played well against Bayern, the scoreline didn’t show that, but that’s the level we want to be at,” Chalobah told the club website.
“We had moments where we knew we could match them, but it was tough. You could clearly see the quality. We’re going into every game knowing it’s going to be difficult.
“The Champions League is where we want to be. This is what we were fighting for last season. Now we’ve got to grab it with both hands and enjoy it. Hopefully it will be a good ride.
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“Every game is going to be tough so we have to be ready for that. If they’ve [Qarabag] qualified for the Champions League, it’s something big. It means they’ve done really well to get to where they are.
“The Champions League is where we want to be at Chelsea and this is where we want to stay – so we have to show the levels.”
After beating FC Copenhagen in their previous Champions League home match (2-0), Qarabag will be looking to win back-to-back home games in the same season in major European competition for the first time.
Maresca believes his Chelsea must not underestimate the task ahead of them, especially away from home.
He said: “It is going to be a tough game for different reasons as a team they are a very good, they beat Benfica and Copenhagen and are a very intense team because of the way they press.
“They have worked with the same manager for many, many years. They are more intense at home. It will be a tough game.”