Manchester City Vs Chelsea, Tuchel: They're The Benchmark In Europe, We Want To Close The Gap

Thomas Tuchel (Twitter @chelsea)

JAKARTA - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his youngsters are confident of facing Manchester City in the Champions League final this weekend after recently packing a victory over the English Premier League champions.

The Blues will face City in Porto on Saturday. While in the Premier League, they managed to finish in the top four despite losing 1–2 at home to Aston Villa.

Tuchel beat Guardiola in the FA Cup semi-final last month and it was a rare home defeat at City. But Chelsea has lost three of their last four games in all competitions.

The German manager, who replaced Frank Lampard in January, said finishing in the Premier League's top four, despite losing on Sunday at Villa Park, was a "remarkable achievement" and Chelsea's players are now getting a short mental break.

"I want them to be here on Wednesday with great excitement because this is probably one of the most exciting weeks of their lives as a professional player," he said.

Tuchel, who previously managed PSG and last year beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final, said the Blues' recent victory over City proved they could be beaten.

"I think it helped us to come back to remember and come in with a lot of confidence," he said.

"Manchester City is the benchmark, they are the champion club."

"They are the benchmark in Europe and we are the ones who want to hunt them down and want to close the gap."

'They are the benchmark but we are the guys who want to close the gap.' 💪#UCLFinal

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 24, 2021

"That experience (beating The Citizens) helped a lot," he added.

"This does not give you an advantage but it can help us to present with confidence and have a chance to beat them."

Tuchel insists his team has played well despite losing three of their last four matches, including in the FA Cup final against Leicester.

"It worries me. It's always a concern for me when we lose and it's not easy to handle because the statistical data we get and the team's performances don't show that it needs to happen," he was quoted as saying by AFP.