Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has stressed the importance of securing a win in Sunday’s FA Community Shield match against Arsenal at Wembley.
The Spaniard has insisted on winning the season’s first silverware despite the game being part of Chelsea's pre-season schedule and not affecting the league campaign proper.
"We want to win and compete", the 28-year-old was quoted as saying by the FA’s official website.
Fabregas has also talked up the significance of the London derby at Wembley, which he feels is a “big game”.
"It is a big game, a London derby at Wembley in front of all the fans.
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“It’s a nice competition to play in and even if it is a pre-season game, you still want to win.”
The midfielder is unworried about the Gunners’ early pre-season start which has seen them win the Barclays Asia Trophy and the Emirates Cup, insisting Chelsea are “competitors” and emphasised the Blues’ desire to win, which he feels will contribute to a “great” game.
"We are not worried that they might be fresher than us.
“They started pre-season ten days before us but we are competitors, we will want to win and it will probably be a great game”, he added.
Chelsea will head into the Community Shield match having registered two consecutive penalty shoot-out wins over Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona on their pre-season tour of the United States.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is yet to win a game against Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, and Fabregas will hope the statistic remains intact after the game on Sunday.
