Chelsea manager Frank Lampard says he is unconcerned by the threat of Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski ahead of their Champions League meeting.
The Blues host the Bundesliga leaders on Tuesday night in their round of 16 first-leg encounter, with the return fixture at Allianz Arena arriving next month.
The Germans head into the game as the top-scoring side in the competition this season, having scored 24 goals from their six group games, with seven of those coming the last time they visited London in a 7-2 over Tottenham Hotspur.
And striker Lewandowski already has ten for the campaign, level with Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland, with eight of those coming for previous side RB Salzburg.
The Polish forward netted on the first five matchdays, with his four against Red Star Belgrade in November coming in a competition-record 16 minutes. The 31-year-old is fifth in the Champions League all-time top scoring standings with 63, behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Raul and Karim Benzema.
Despite the striker’s formidable presence in front of goal, Lampard remains confident that his side can see out the threat.
“It doesn’t concern me,” Lampard said in his pre-match press conference.
“He’s been so consistent for years. His goalscoring record, everything about him from a distance is top class. I’ve watched quite a lot of Bayern and that shines through.
“He’s the spearhead but they have a lot of threats. The levels have to go up in the knockout stages. The levels must go up everywhere.”
Bayern head into the game sitting top of the Bundesliga, with their Polish striker top of the goalscoring charts with 25 goals. But their focus now turns to European action, where they are the only side to have collected maximum points in this season’s group stage.
And when asked if the German side could go on to win the competition, Lampard replied: “Yes, for sure. The talent and unity - they are top of the Bundesliga for a reason.
“It’s a club that overcomes difficulties because of the strength, the structure. I have huge respect for them. Every year they can win the Champions League but our job is to try and stop them."
