German defender Antonio Rudiger has issued a rallying cry to his Blues teammates as the European champions seek to win the Club World Cup. 

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has issued a six-word rallying cry to his Blues teammates as they prepare for their Club World Cup opener against Al Hilal on Wednesday. 

Rudiger, 28, played in Chelsea's tense 2-1 FA Cup win over Plymouth Argyle before flying to Abu Dhabi on the same day for the Club World Cup opener. 

"We had to accept that after the break, it was going to be difficult against a very tough opponent and organised,"Arno Michels, Chelsea's assistant coach, spoke after the victory. 

"We have to say that playing 120 minutes was not the goal for today. We had a few minor injuries, which we hope were minor. So, we'll see." It's not easy to return from a break and play a game like this. Even if it was a good game for me for a long time." 

The triple injury blow sustained in the game was the main concern following the fourth round FA Cup tie win, with Mason Mount the main worry ahead of Wednesday's semi-final. 

In his post-match press conference, Michels said of Mount's injury: "We'll have to wait and see. He suffered an injury as a result of this extra time with this shot on goal Only by this shot – it wasn't a serious problem during the game – only when he realized he had quick he felt pain and we took him off. 

"We'll see. There will be more tests. Hopefully, it won't be too bad, but I can't say what the situation is right now." 

Tuchel had previously ruled out James' presence in Abu Dhabi ahead of the match against Plymouth. 

James is nearing the end of his rehabilitation from a hamstring injury suffered against Brighton in December, and he was one of the players who made the trip. However, he was not included in Chelsea's official squad list, which was submitted to FIFA on Monday morning.

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Wisdom Boakye

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