The in-form striker expressed his excitement after the Blues progressed to the last 16 with a home win over Lille on Tuesday
Tammy Abraham insists that Chelsea are ready to pit their wits against “the best teams in the world” after reaching the Champions League knockout stages and claimed he would love to play at Camp Nou against Barcelona.
Prior to Lille‘s arrival at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, the Blues sat second in Group H, level on eight points with Valencia and two behind leaders Ajax.
Frank Lampard’s men knew they had to win to be certain of a place in the next round, and made the perfect start when Abraham tapped in from close range with just under 20 minutes on the clock.
Cesar Azpilicueta put the home side two up with a powerful header shortly before half-time, which ended up being the decisive moment of the match.
Ex-Chelsea forward Loic Remy’s late goal proved to be nothing more than a consolation for Lille, who dropped out of Europe after the 2-1 defeat in west London.
Valencia’s shock 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam meant that the Blues finished second in the group, with the semi-finalists from 2018-19 falling into the Europa League.
After netting his 13th goal in all competitions, Abraham was full of optimism and believes that Chelsea are prepared to take on all comers in the next phase of the competition.
“This is exciting, very exciting,” the England international said post-match. “We’re never ones to back down from a challenge.
“We want to play against the best teams in the world and play in the best stadiums in the world.
“No fear. We’re ready for anyone. I would love it if it is playing at the Nou Camp or somewhere I’ve never played before.”
The draw for the last 16 will take place in Switzerland on Monday, with Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City all set to learn their fates.
Lampard’s side will face one of the group winners after failing to secure top spot, which means they could be paired with Barca, Juventus, Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain.
Abraham is delighted to have fulfilled a life-long dream of playing in the Champions League, but is already looking forward to the rest of Chelsea’s busy festive schedule in the Premier League.
“From our first game in the competition we realised how big it was,” said Abraham. “It’s a massive achievement for us to be through to the last 16.
“And it means the world to me; it’s a dream come true to have watched the Champions League as a young kid growing up and now to be playing in it myself.
“But now it’s also about knuckling down and focusing on the Premier League until the New Year.”
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