Ben Chilwell issues Chelsea rallying cry for critical Borussia Dortmund clash: ‘We must push on!’

Ben Chilwell says that Chelsea’s confidence has grown but wants victory over Borussia Dortmund to set Graham Potter’s side up for the rest of the season.

The Blues ended a six-game winless run with a 1-0 victory over Leeds on Saturday after Wesley Fofana headed in Chilwell’s corner in the second half.

However, Dortmund represent a tougher task having won their last 10 matches in a row, including defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the last-16 first-leg tie in Germany three weeks ago thanks to Karim Adeyemi’s excellent solo goal.

Speaking ahead of a crucial return fixture in a competition which represents the club’s last chance at silverware this season, Chilwell issued a rallying cry.

The wing-back said: “We know the performances and the results haven’t been up to Chelsea’s standards. That’s all we care about.

Rallying cry: Ben Chilwell knows Chelsea cannot afford to slip-up against Borussia Dortmund (Getty Images)

“We know that we need to keep working hard. Saturday was a win but we don’t want to get carried away. We want to win every game at Stamford Bridge.

“It is a step in the right direction but we need to push on now. If we can get a win on Tuesday, that can hopefully set us up for the rest of the season.”

Denis Zakaria, who played in Germany for five years at Borussia Monchengladbach, knows the scale of the challenge facing Chelsea on Tuesday. He wants the team to win back-to-back games for the first time since October to really lift the mood.

“After a streak as we have had you are just happy to win,” Zakaria said. “It has been hard for the manager and the players also. It wasn’t easy to lose games. We are Chelsea. We have to win.

“It is not easy when you lose too often but in the end, we did well and are happy with our three points.”

About the need to build momentum, the Swiss international added: “We are not getting too happy because we have a big game and a big week that we need to be ready for.

“It will for sure give us confidence in the future. We will work better after the win [against Leeds]. We can build after this game.

“We are happy for the win and it will help us ahead of Dortmund and it will lift the confidence of the players.”