Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has paid tribute to Azerbaijan's fans.

Courtois is preparing for tonight's Champions League tie with Qarabag.

It is not Courtois' first visit to this south-eastern corner of Europe, and he had a message for the local journalists who asked him to recall his previous trip.

"I want to say hello to everyone in Azerbaijan. I remember I came here with Atletico four years ago. We were here for a few days; we saw the nice culture here in Baku.

"Everything was very good, the people were very friendly, a lot of fans of then Atletico, and now Chelsea as well, are on the street. For us as a team to see all the support we have here in Azerbaijan is really nice.

"I am really happy to be here, and hopefully we can have a good game for everybody, and everybody can enjoy the game."