Thomas Tuchel has his say on first leg of Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid being shifted to neutral venue
Speaking to the Chelsea website, Thomas Tuchel stated that Atletico Madrid are still dangerous opponents despite the first leg of their last-16 tie being shifted to a neutral venue.
UEFA announced on Wednesday that the first leg of Chelsea against Atletico will be shifted to a neutral venue. This is majorly due to the Covid-19 restrictions in Spain.
Originally scheduled for 23rd February, the game will now be played in Bucharest, Romania, instead of Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid. The return leg remains at Stamford Bridge and will be played three weeks later.
Losing home advantage is, of course, not preferable for any team. However, Tuchel believes that the La Liga leaders are still formidable opponents.
“We don’t doubt that they will be ready 100 per cent in Bucharest to fight against us and it’s our duty to be ready to play them in 12 days.”
Atletico are still dangerous
The former PSG boss thinks that Chelsea are inconvenienced by the rescheduling as well. However, he says that the Blues will re-adjust and be ready for the task at hand.
“We have to play there so now it’s the moment to adapt our travel routine and our schedule, the day before and the day after, and to look for solutions.”
Chelsea reached the last-16 of the competition by finishing top of their Champions League group in 2020. The Blues came away undefeated from Group E under former manager Frank Lampard.
Newly-appointed boss Thomas Tuchel will be hoping he can replicate the European success he had with PSG last season. The German guided the Ligue 1 champions to the UCL final last season.
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The Blues exited the Champions League at the same stage last season, losing 7-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Bayern Munich.