Pessimistic Chelsea Can Catch Goal Deficit At Real Madrid Headquarters, Tuchel Impossible, But Worth Trying

Thomas Tuchel (Instagram @chelseafc)

JAKARTA – Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is not too sure of being able to penetrate the semifinals of the European Champions League this season. He does not believe his team can catch up to a goal deficit over Real Madrid.

Tuchel will lead the Blues for the quarter-final second leg at Madrid's headquarters at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday, April 13 in the morning. The visitors have the task of chasing after goal difference after losing 3-1 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge on 7 April.

"It's impossible (to overturn the goal deficit), but it's worth a try. And trying means that we will play to the fullest and to our limit. It was a big night," the German coach was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"It's one of the biggest challenges to perform as an away team at the Bernabeu, especially if you need a (best) result. It's still worth trying and it's still a stage where you can perform better. We have to overdo it," he continued.

While playing at Chelsea headquarters, Los Blancos brought home the victory thanks to Karim Benzema's hat-trick. Meanwhile, the only goal of the home team was scored by Kai Havertz.

Tuchel said his squad had really struggled and were trying to compete physically in the first leg. However, the Premier League's decision to limit substitutions in each game to only three times actually hampered his team.

"We are facing a big loss physically because Real Madrid have played all season with five substitutions and we are playing in a league that relies the most on physicality," said the former Paris Saint-Germain coach.

Chelsea will lose some of its core players when they travel to Madrid later. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ben Chilwell and Romelu are ruled out, while defender Cesar Azpilicueta will be in the squad after testing negative for COVID-19.