Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Chelsea: Blues must improve away form ahead of gruelling run, says Branislav Ivanovic

Blues: Chelsea are hoping away-day bonus will have benefits closer to home
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Simon Johnson24 November 2015

Chelsea have been troubled by many ailments this season, yet it is vital they find a cure for their travel sickness here this evening.

Should Chelsea beat a poor Maccabi Tel-Aviv side tonight and Dynamo Kiev fail to win at Group G leaders Porto, the Blues will not only be in the last 16 of the Champions League, they could have also found a timely remedy for their problems on the road.

Jose Mourinho’s side have, of course, not been too convincing at any venue in recent months, but their record away from Stamford Bridge has been dire, with just two wins from 10 away games.

Considering one of those successes was against Walsall in the Capital One Cup, while the other was at West Brom back in August, it is understandable they leave SW6 with some trepidation.

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Given the Premier League schedule shows the club now have to visit, starting from Sunday, Tottenham, Leicester, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Arsenal over the next couple of months, a victory tonight is sorely required.

Branislav Ivanovic certainly feels there is more than progress in Europe at stake.

The defender told Standard Sport: “It is a good opportunity to win away from home before going into that difficult run. We have to improve away from home.

“It’s always better to play in front of your fans, however the team show their strength by how they play away. The next away games are crucial for us in the League because we need results to get up the table.”

Seeing Chelsea regularly struggle outside Stamford Bridge is a rare sight in the Roman Abramovich era. Asked to explain it, Ivanovic said: “This is the extra pressure that comes with being champions.

“From the start of this season, I noticed teams showing us even more respect, they were scared of us and they think more about how we are playing, what we are doing compared to other teams.

“This is the extra pressure that we have to deal with. How we play defensively is key. It’s important to be together, to not concede because we will always get a chance to score due to the quality players we have.

“They can always create something, so we need to find the right balance between these two things when we are away. It is vital for us to do that at this stage of the season.”

Ivanovic returned to action on Saturday after a seven-week absence due to a hamstring injury.

“I am very happy to be back,” he said. “I was a bit frustrated how things were going at first because I was not supposed to be out for a long time. But I had a great time with the medical staff, they helped me a lot and it’s great to be playing again. Now I can help the team.”

Should Chelsea win, the whole squad will feel better ahead of the tougher tasks to come.

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