Reece James says he’s not bothered by Chelsea being labelled underdogs ahead of Sunday’s Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, confidently stating that the Blues are ready to surprise a lot of people.
Despite PSG’s impressive run, which includes winning the French Cup, Ligue 1, and Champions League, Chelsea captain is unfazed by the praise for their opponents. Spaeking to reporters he said:
“We’re preparing right and we’re going there to win, I’ve been in many finals before where we were favourites and we didn’t come out on top.
“To be honest, I don’t care that everyone is bigging up our opposition,”
James’ confidence stems from his team’s abilities, and he believes they can “surprise a lot of people” on the biggest stage. The skipper highlighted the analytical work his team will undertake to identify PSG’s weaknesses.
“I’m sure the analyst team we have will be looking at the games where PSG haven’t done so well, and we’ll try and adapt to that.”
Despite the youthful nature of both squads, James acknowledges PSG’s quality, saying:
“PSG are amazing and we’re expecting a tough game.”
However, he’s convinced that Chelsea has what it takes to pull off an upset and bring home the coveted trophy. James also revealed that he is not injured, despite pulling out of the starting line-up to face Fluminense in the semi-finals. He felt he needed replacing as a precaution.
‘Just to be clear, I wasn’t injured so let’s put that to bed,
James said.
‘I wasn’t feeling so good in the warm-up with my history. I could have played but it was a warning. I decided not to take an unnecessary risk and be available. I believed and thankfully we won that game.’
The match will be Chelsea’s 64th of a long season that has also seen them secure Champions League qualification and win the Europa Conference League.
In an earlier update, Softfootball reported that Madueke has been granted permission to leave US for Arsenal medical. Noni Madueke has been given permission by Chelsea to leave the club’s camp in the United States for his medical at Arsenal.
The Gunners had £52million offer accepted for Madueke by their London rivals Chelsea and he is now due to undergo a medical before completing his move to the Emirates.
