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Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that the Carabao Cup is as important as any other tournament, and Chelsea are in it to win it this season.

The Blues will take on Newcastle United in the quarter final stage of the competition on Tuesday night, with the hopes of eliminating them, and reaching the semi-final.

Chelsea haven’t won the Carabao Cup since 2015, and when asked about his side’s chances of winning it again, Pochettino said it was first of all, important to become consistent.

In the words of Pochettino, Chelsea are their own worst enemies.

“I am not so happy because if you want to win the competition, we need to win the competition against us,” Pochettino replied.

“We are our own worst enemies. We have the possibility and we are ready to compete and fight in every single action, win the duels, and anticipate the things to be faster and stronger than them.

“At the moment, we are in a project where we are fighting against ourselves to be better.

“I don’t know which people are saying “Mickey Mouse Cup” but to be honest with you, we are not feeling this way.

“It is a really good opportunity to win. I saw for more than 10 years how clubs celebrate winning this cup. It is one of our objectives. We are taking it seriously and we are going to put out the best team possible as if we are playing for a final or for our lives.”

Recalling his experience in the competition with Tottenham, Poch added: “When we went to Tottenham, our first final was after nine months, 2015 against Mourinho and Chelsea.

“For us it was the same. It is for every single club, for every single coach. It is about when you are a club like Chelsea, you are thinking about winning trophies.”