Connect with us

SPORTS

2020/2021 UCL is anyone’s competition now, Chelsea’s Tuchel says

Published

on

Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel says the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League is now “anyone’s competition” to win.

After leading the London side to the semi-finals with a 2-1 aggregate victory over FC Porto, Tuchel is keeping his fingers crossed.

FC Porto won the second leg 1-0 on Tuesday but it was not enough to overturn Chelsea’s 2-0 first-leg victory.

Chelsea will play either Liverpool or Real Madrid in the semi-finals, while Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will meet either Manchester City or Borussia Dortmund.

As Chelsea prepare for their eighth Champions League semi-final – the most of any English club – Tuchel told reporters: “We’re in the competition and in the semi-finals, and it is anyone’s competition.

“In the semi-finals, you need players (to be) fit, momentum, luck in the games.”

The German added: “It is a very big achievement. You (can) see when Chelsea were last in the semi-finals.

“We are not used to being there. Once you are there, you play for the final. This is clear.”

Chelsea will be appearing in their first Champions League semi-finals since 2013/2014 with a younger brigade of players compared to their upcoming opponents.

“When you look on the scoresheet last week, you saw two players [Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell] who scored their first goals in the competition,” Tuchel said.

“When you look at Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, [Karim] Benzema or [Mohamed] Salah score, it is their 50th or 100th goal or something. We arrived with a very young team.

“We want a young team to turn it around. What a young team can do is run, fight and hang in there. It is an adventure for them. It is a big step to be here.”

Olawale Alabi

NEWSVERGE, published by The Verge Communications is an online community of international news portal and social advocates dedicated to bringing you commentaries, features, news reports from a Nigerian-African perspective. A unique organization, founded in the spirit of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, comprising of ordinary people with an overriding commitment to seeking the truth and publishing it without fear or favour. The Verge Communications is fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as a corporate organization.

Comments
NIGERIA DECIDES

NIGERIA DECIDES

Shell Digital Plan RESPONSIVE600x750
Shell Digital Plan RESPONSIVE600x750
GTB
JoinOurWhatsAppChannel