Tuchel: Chelsea must overperform to overturn Madrid deficit

Thomas Tuchel has admitted Chelsea will need a “fantastic script” to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Chelsea knocked Real Madrid out in the 2020-21 semi-finals before going on to clinch Europe’s most prestigious title, but the Spanish giants gained revenge at Stamford Bridge last week.

A Karim Benzema hat-trick earned the Blancos a 3-1 win in the first leg of their last-eight tie against the Blues, and Tuchel concedes it will be an “almost impossible task” for his side to overturn that deficit at Santiago Bernabeu.

“It is one of the biggest challenges to perform away at the Bernabeu,” the German boss told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s second leg.

“It is even more difficult if you have to earn a certain result, if you need to win with a minimum of two goals or better or maybe a three goal difference. That makes it almost impossible and very, very difficult, but still it is worth trying.

“We need nothing else than a fantastic script that we want to be able to overcome this.”

Tuchel added on the need for Chelsea to reach their best level in order to have any hope of qualifying for the next round: “It’s always allowed to dream. It is sometimes important to imagine things and to dream about it, but it will not shift the focus from the fact that we need to deliver and we need to be ready.

“Hopefully, we have a match where belief grows within the match by our actions and, hopefully, we can fulfil our dream, live up to our dream – but realistically, we have to invest a lot and be at our very top level.”