Rudiger: Chelsea must be focused

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger believes his side must be ‘mentally’ prepared to try and beat Barcelona in the Champions League.

The 24-year-old was part of the Roma side who fell to a 6-1 defeat at the Camp Nou in 2015 but rejected claims this would be a detriment ahead of facing the Blaugrana again.

“Football is played out on the pitch for 90 minutes, it is not what happens before,” Rudiger told the London Evening Standard.

“Anyone who has fear or something like that should not play. You have to be mentally ready when the referee blows the whistle. That’s it. I’m ready for them.

“My respect for them is good, but once the referee blows the whistle I will always try to win my games.

“Everyone knows what kind of quality Messi has. But we have to take this match. We are playing at home and it could be an advantage for us.

“When I was younger, I was dreaming about playing in a game like this. I think everyone does. I played against them before with Roma, but now I’m with Chelsea.”

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