This is one of my biggest challenges, says Thomas Tuchel ahead of Madrid task
- Planet Sport writer
- 11 April 2022
Chelsea can 'dream' of progressing past Real Madrid to make the semi-finals of the Champions League, says Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues head to the Spanish capital behind 3-1 and Tuchel - who won the tournament with Chelsea last season - says it will be 'difficult' but 'is worth trying'.
"It is one of the biggest challenges to perform away at the Bernabeu," said the German.
"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."
Chelsea knocked Madrid out of the Champions League in the semi-finals last season, and drew in Spain before winning 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Los Blancos have won the competition more times than any other club (13) and the omens are good for them, with no English side beating them by more than one goal at the Bernabeu.
"The task is incredibly high and the challenge is incredibly high given the circumstances of the first leg, where we play, against whom we play and at what stage we play this kind of match," added Tuchel.
"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.
"We will arrive and try everything because it's worth trying. From there we see and, 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."
Carlo Ancelotti - who guided Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2009/10 - is refusing to rule his former side out of the tie.
"He [Tuchel] can say whatever he wants but I'm sure Chelsea will come here to win - that's the spirit of football, the spirit of big clubs and great players, to never give up.
"I'm lucky to have a group of players that know these types of games really well, that anything can happen. They are in a good spirit and happy with the opportunity to reach a Champions League semi-final.
"But Chelsea are a very strong rival. We have to have a lot of respect and we're going to have it"
