Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has reacted to the club being drawn against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.
As quoted by the club’s official website, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that a tough challenge awaits his team in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal, where they will be facing Real Madrid.
The Champions League quarter-final draw was conducted on Friday in Switzerland and one of the standout ties sees Chelsea face Real Madrid. Chelsea, the reigning champions of Europe, faced Real Madrid in the semifinal last season and were triumphant over the two legs, with N’Golo Kante putting in stunning performances in both legs. The Blues then went on to beat Manchester City to lift the trophy.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have qualified for the quarter-final this term after beating LOSC Lille in the Round-of-16 phase. Real Madrid, meanwhile, produced a stunning comeback against Paris Saint-Germain to make it through this stage of the competition.
6 – Thomas Tuchel has not lost any of his six Champions League matches against Real Madrid (W2 D4) – no other coach has faced Real Madrid as often in the #UCL without losing once. Genius. pic.twitter.com/MzFFmwcBvs
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) March 18, 2022
With the two teams set to face off again this season, Thomas Tuchel gave his thoughts on the draw, saying: “Tough one. The challenge cannot be much higher than playing the second leg in the Bernabeu with spectators. It is a big challenge and also there’s big excitement around this match and fixture. We know what is coming and it will be a tough challenge.”
Chelsea could face the prospect of squaring off against Manchester City in the semifinal should they beat Real Madrid and the Cityzens prevail in the quarterfinal tie against Atletico Madrid. Tuchel also spoke about avoiding an English opponent in the draw, insisting that it is nice to play a team from a different country.
“Not important [to avoid English opposition] but it is a European night and it is always nice to play European teams, and not play English teams at this stage, because you play so many times in domestic competition,” the German said.
Chelsea might have to play their home game without fans due to the sanctions placed on the club, which prohibits them from selling tickets. Expressing his opinion on the matter, the manager added: “It would be a disadvantage [not having any fans]. In general, this game is for the spectators.
“The game can change so much with spectators, so hopefully we find a solution. Everybody at the club and on the board will fight for a chance. I am not sure how big the possibility is. These games, any game, is for the spectators. It’s a different game when the crowd is in the stadium.”
