Kalidou Koulibaly is desperate to keep Olivier Giroud quiet when he returns to Chelsea tomorrow, while Graham Potter has heaped praise on the AC Milan star.
Former Blues striker Giroud will return to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as AC Milan travel to west London to play their third Champions League match.
The Frenchman spent four years at Chelsea – scoring 39 goals in 119 appearances for the Blues – before leaving to join AC Milan last year.
Giroud has enjoyed a good start to the season, netting six goals in his last 10 games, and will be looking to remind Chelsea fans of his ability when AC Milan visit Stamford Bridge.
- What Fernandes & Lisandro Martinez did to Man Utd teammates during Man City loss
- Bacary Sagna slams ‘terrible’ Man Utd & mocks midfield players
- Pep Guardiola reveals the difference between Haaland & Messi
Koulibaly played against Giroud while he was still at Napoli last campaign and says he is a ‘dangerous striker’ who can score from anywhere.
‘He is a big player,’ Koulibaly said when asked about the threat of Giroud. ‘He showed it in Serie A last year, he scored a lot of goals. He did the same at Chelsea.
‘He is a dangerous striker, you always need to be aware of him because he can score from anywhere. It will be tough for the defenders tomorrow but we will be ready. It’s important that he doesn’t score and Chelsea win this game.’
New Chelsea head coach Potter has also hailed Giroud, calling him a ‘quality’ and ‘fantastic’ player as he prepares for only his third game in charge of the club.
Chelsea drew 1-1 with Red Bull Salzburg in Potter’s first game as manager and beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in his first Premier League game in the dugout.
‘Giroud is someone Chelsea know very well,’ Potter said. ‘He is a fantastic player and plays the game in a really good way, using his quality and strengths.
‘He is a quality player for Milan. We have to be really good to get the result we want because they are a top team. It’s a massive challenge for us and an exciting challenge.’
AC Milan are currently fifth in Serie A – three points behind league leaders Napoli – and top of Champions League Group E with four points from two games.
