Chelsea
assistant manager Gianfranco Zola is delighted his side have been drawn to
face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, as he believes it gives them
the opportunity to exact revenge for their Premier League defeat at Wembley.
Eden Hazard's late strike ensured Chelsea booked their place in the last
four with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Wednesday.
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 by Spurs in November, and Zola says they are already
eager to make amends.
"It could have been a better [draw] but we are in the semi-finals and we
knew it would be a difficult game," he said. "But we are happy because they
gave us a footballing lesson [at Wembley] and we are looking forward to
challenging them again. I'm sure it will be a different type of game.
"There are a lot of proud players in our team and they will want to show
that they were not the ones who played that game. In that game too many
players under-played and some of them were hurt.
"I am really pleased that we play against them again. I can't wait."
Zola dismissed suggestions that Hazard needed a rest, and reiterated
Chelsea's desire to keep him at the club for the foreseeable future.
"We know we have a lot of games and we need to keep players like Eden fit
and in good condition," said Zola. "But we know he is the type of player who
can change a game, even in 20 minutes, and Pedro is as well. That's the good
thing about having players like that.
"Hopefully he will stay longer with us and become even bigger. I am really
looking forward to seeing Eden achieve great things with this club."
top