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Hiddink 'proud' of aggressive Costa

Cape Town - Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has jumped to the defence of Diego Costa, saying the striker hasn't "gone over the edge" despite his aggressive nature.

The Spain international hasn't had the best of seasons going by his usual standards and he has scored just one goal in the Champions League in two seasons with Chelsea.

Costa, though, is well known for his confrontational ways and Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc warned his players ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last-16 reverse leg to be careful when they come up against him.

PSG's social media team also got involved as they asked fans to "spot the fraud" in a video of masked superheroes with Costa wearing a protective mask for a broken nose one of the options.

However, Hiddink had nothing but praise for the forward, who has scored 10 goals under the interim manager, ahead of the game.

"I'm very proud of him the way he's playing and, going not over the edge, but he likes to fight in the real way of the game," the Dutchman said.

"That's what we like. I protect him and support him when he's doing what he has done in my period at Chelsea.

"He scored recently in not the worst league in the world. In the Premier League he frequently is scoring now, since December, January.

"Before he had this problem of not scoring, as did the team. Let's see and hope he can make it to the European level as well."

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