Chelsea star Willian knows the Blues will face a real battle to retain their Premier League crown this season, as they prepare for Sunday’s FA Community Shield supported by McDonald’s.
Antonio Conte’s side face Arsenal at Wembley in the season’s traditional curtain-raiser, with memories of their defeat in May’s Emirates FA Cup Final still relatively fresh in the memory.
And the Brazilian anticipates the Gunners will provide another stern test of their credentials as both teams aim to hit the ground running when the Premier League kicks-off next weekend.
“There are plenty of contenders, and Arsenal are one of them,” he said.
“We saw how good they could be in the FA Cup Final, they have a great team. But many teams can win it so the Community Shield will be very interesting.
“We have to win the game to give us confidence going into the league campaign, and we will try our hardest.
“Playing Arsenal is never easy. They have the likes of [Alexandre] Lacazette and [Mesut] Ozil, real class players but the most important thing is that they play collectively. They are a great team, they create a lot of chances and we will have to be prepared.”
Chelsea begin their defence of the title against Burnley at Stamford Bridge next Saturday, when the former Shakhtar Donetsk forward is anticipating a typically tough game.
With their moniker as champions still firmly in place, he knows other sides will always raise their game but he believes the west Londoners are ready for the challenges ahead.
“It will be hard to retain the title,” he admitted, in the official FA Community Shield programme.
“It’s hard to win it, but it is even more difficult to win it two times in a row.
“We think it gets more difficult every season, because all the other teams get stronger. We are preparing well, though, and we needed a good pre-season; it’s going to be tough.”
Read the full interview with Willian, along with features from Conte, Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois in the programme, which will be available around Wembley, priced at £5. Online link to follow.
