Darren Bent backs Chelsea to challenge for the Premier League title if they complete three major signings. (Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Real Madrid as quoted by Football London, Thomas Tuchel has insisted that the Blues have to learn from their defeat to Real Madrid last week.
Real Madrid took a 3-1 advantage in the first leg thanks to a hattrick from Karim Benzema while Kai Havertz netted for the Blues. Tuchel’s men look to do the unthinkable and overturn the deficit as they look to stake a claim in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Chelsea are coming off the back of a 6-0 thrashing of Southampton in the weekend with braces from Mason Mount, Timo Werner and one goal apiece from Kai Havertz and Marcos Alonso. The Blues will be high on confidence going into the clash against the Spanish giants.
Speaking about the second leg, Tuchel insisted that the Blues have a lot to learn and have to put in a better shift in the second leg.
“We need absolutely to learn from last week’s game. That is the beauty of the competition and this stage that you have two matches in very short notice and that you can learn from the games. You can use pictures and moments and situations from the first leg to learn from for the second leg. This is what we tried to do and what we will use in the preparation for this match.”
Chelsea were far from their best in the first leg and whilst we will undoubtedly put in a better performance today, a lot is at stake. As Tuchel has said, the club would have done well to learn from the mistakes made in the last UCL game.
Hopefully, we don’t afford the likes of Vinicius Jr so much space down the flanks again. The Blues kept more possession– perhaps because they had the onus to score after Karim Benzema’s hat-trick- but we were failing to make the most of it.
Our season hangs on by the thinnest margin and to keep it alive, we will have to overcome Real Madrid emphatically by taking a lead on aggregate at Santiago Bernabeu. We have struggled to be clinical in front of goal this season but in a clash like this, our strikers will have to have their best striking boots as chances will come at a premium.
Timo Werner scored a brace against Southampton on the weekend in what was arguably his best game since he joined us last summer. It remains to be seen if the German striker starts the game against Madrid but if he does, he will be hoping to replicate the weekend’s performance against the Spanish giants.
Our defence will also have to be at their best and cannot afford any slip-ups. Whoever the starting centre-backs are, they will have to be on top of their game and Tuchel will be hoping Edouard Mendy is at his insane best today also.
When we take the pitch against Carlo Ancelotti’s men today, we know the enormity of the task that awaits us. If we manage to get past the Spanish club and into the semifinals, then tonight will be etched permanently in Chelsea folklore. And if you feel like you can predict the game’s result, checkout this list of carefully selected betting sites.
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