Malmo restores Chelsea confidence ahead of Carabao Cup final, says Oliver Giroud

Oliver Giroud believes Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Malmo on Thursday night will help give them some much-needed confidence for the rest of the season.

The Blues cruised to victory over the Swedish side to secure their place in the last 16 of the Europa League, courtesy of goals from Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Giroud himself.

It was the club’s fifth victory in their last nine games, with the Blues enduring a turbulent run of form under current manager Maurizio Sarri.

The Stamford Bridge side have suffered embarrassing defeats to both Bournemouth and Manchester City of late, with speculation intensifying regarding the manager’s future at the club.

Sarri’s men now look towards Sunday’s Carabao Cup final where they will meet City again with both sides bidding for the season’s first piece of silverware.

And Giroud, who scored for the second consecutive game against Malmo, believes the Europa League victory will help settle the nerves heading into this weekend’s final.

"We needed some confidence back and a good win,” Giroud told BT Sport after the win over Malmo. “Especially to reassure ourselves defensively with a clean sheet. 

“We were strong defensively and ambitious up front. It was a good night, we finished the job well and now we can focus on the next game.

"We were expecting them to press us high, with a compact block in midfield, so it was difficult to find a solution but we kept playing. 

“The manager said to play quickly, we played through the lines, then in the second half they were a bit tired.

"It's good for confidence but now we need momentum. We need to play it as a final and learn from the mistakes we made in the league against them (Manchester City). I'm sure we will do well against them."

Following Chelsea’s clash against Pep Guardiola’s side in the cup final, they then take on Tottenham in the Premier League just three days later.

The Blues are currently sixth in the league and are currently at risk of not achieving Champions League football for the second season in a row.