Chelsea can win Champions League back-to-back – Michael Essien

Essien was a special guest as he helped to conduct the group stage draw of the Champions League in Istanbul on Thursday.

The 38-year-old conducted the draw alongside former Chelsea teammate Branislav Ivanovic, as both men unravelled the balls to determine the teams in the various groups.

The Blues won their second UEFA Champions League title when they defeated Manchester City in May.

Speaking at the draw, Essien backed Thomas Tuchel’s side to defend the European crown they won last season.

“I believe they [Chelsea] can do back-to-back wins for the club. It would be a very big achievement,” he said.

"They have a big squad. Having [Romelu] Lukaku back again, they are well prepared, and hopefully, we can win it [again]."

Meanwhile, the Blues have been drawn against Juventus, Zenit St. Petersburg and Malmo FF in Group F.

See the full Champions League group stages draw below:

Group A: Man City, PSG, RB Leipzig, Club Brugge

Group B: Atletico Madrid, Liverpool, Porto, AC Milan

Group C: Sporting, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Besiktas

Group D: Inter, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sheriff Tiraspol

Group E: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Benfica, Dynamo Kyiv

Group F: Villarreal, Manchester United, Atalanta, Young Boys

Group G: Lille, Sevilla, Red Bull Salzburg, Wolfsburg

Group H: Chelsea, Juventus, Zenit St Petersburg, Malmo