Oscar: Chelsea must make amends in Champions League

Oscar says Chelsea are determined to make up for last season’s Champions League disappointment by embarking on a strong run to the knockout stages of this term’s competition.

The Blues became the first defending champions to fail to navigate their way out of the group stage last term as they were parachuted down into the Europa League.

The west London side went on to lift the Europa League trophy under interim boss Rafael Benitez following a 2-1 victory over Benfica in the final.

But with the Blues currently top of their Champions League group after the shock home defeat by Basel in their opening game, Oscar insists Jose Mourinho’s men are targeting a positive run in Europe’s elite club competition.

“Of course, because we are at a club the size of Chelsea, and we have the team we do, we are obliged to win every match and qualify for the next stage of the Champions League,” Oscar told Chelsea’s website.

“Chelsea have a great team; last year we didn’t qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament but we lost by small details.

“This season we began with a home defeat as well but we’ve recovered in a good way and we are now just a small step away from the next round.

“Firstly, we need to make sure we qualify for the knockout rounds, but it’s also very important for us to finish top of our group.”