Graham Potter said on Monday he is confident goal-shy Chelsea can find their cutting edge to beat Borussia Dortmund and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Potter’s side ended a miserable run with a 1-0 win over Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday, giving them a boost ahead of Tuesday’s last 16 second leg against Dortmund at Stamford Bridge.
But Chelsea — who have only scored twice in their past seven matches — will likely need two goals to progress against the Bundesliga title-chasers, who are 1-0 up after the first leg.
Potter, under intense pressure amid a difficult first season in charge, is optimistic his expensively assembled team can find the goals necessary.
“We’ve had some games where we could have scored more than one, for sure, and we need that performance tomorrow night. It’s a simple as that,” Potter told reporters.
“We’re playing against a top team, a team that’s in a good place, the amount of wins they have. It’s not going to be easy.
“But the boys are in a good place, they are confident, they are motivated. We want to take the challenge on and give it our best.”
Upbeat mood
Potter, whose side are a lowly 10th in the Premier League, said the mood in the Chelsea camp had remained positive despite their poor form.
“Not happy and joking and smiling when losing, of course not, but at the same time there’s been a support for each other and a good spirit and a good atmosphere,” he said.
“At the same time you have to take responsibility to know that we’re not in a good place from a results perspective. But if we win a game the smiles come back.”
Supporters vented their anger at Chelsea’s slump after last week’s defeat to relegation-threatened Southampton.
But Potter said the fans were entitled to air their views and asked for their help to make Tuesday’s match uncomfortable for Dortmund.
“They’ve been suffering like the rest of us have with the results we’ve had but I thought the reception we had and the support we had at the weekend (against Leeds) was fantastic,” he said.
“They were behind the team and I think they know the importance of the game tomorrow night. They want the team to progress and they know how important they are because in the Champions League away from home it’s tough.
“We want to make sure it’s tough for Dortmund and we need our supporters for that.”
Portugal forward Joao Felix insisted Chelsea were under “zero pressure” even though the Champions League is the only silverware they can still win this season.
“This is our job,” he said.
“We just have to enjoy, win the games. Our levels of confidence and attention are high because we have to win.”
Felix, on loan from Atletico Madrid, said Chelsea’s lack of goals was “frustrating”, but he remained relaxed.
“Sometimes you shoot 10 times and you don’t score… so we just need to keep working, keep pushing and for sure the goals will appear,” he said.
