The Blues impressed as they saw off Real Madrid to set up an all-English showpiece, and their manager thinks they can upset the odds
Chelsea are confident of beating Manchester City in the Champions League final, despite the Premier League champions-elect being the “benchmark” in European football, says Thomas Tuchel.
The Blues set up an all-English final against the Citizens after beating Real Madrid 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in their semi-final second leg clash on Wednesday night, completing a 3-1 aggregate victory.
They will start as underdogs against City, who could claim the English title if they beat Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend. However, Tuchel feels his side can beat anyone if they play their best.
What has been said?
Chelsea have already beaten City in one knock-out competition this season, defeating them in the FA Cup semi-finals, and Tuchel was asked if this gave his side the upper hand as they prepare to face Pep Guardiola’s men once again.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Tuchel said: “No, but it gives us a good feeling, and confidence that we played that semi-final on the edge, we used it because like I said before, I will say it always, for me Bayern Munich with Manchester City are the benchmark and we wanted to close the gap to Man City.”
The Blues were clearly the better team in their second leg clash with Real, and other than the goals scored by Timo Werner and Mason Mount, had several other great chances to score and win the game more comfortably.
Tuchel said: “This one match in the semi-final, we did that with a very impressive performance and we need that again. It gave us belief and confidence for every game after that because it is the highest level you can face.”
What next for Chelsea?
By a quirk of the football calendar, this Saturday will see a preview of the Champions League final as Chelsea travel to City for a Premier League fixture, in which three points will earn Guardiola’s side their third domestic title in four seasons.
The following Saturday they face Leicester in the FA Cup final, while they will also attempt to finish in the Premier League top four amid a competitive race to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Plenty of focus will now be on May 29 however, when City and Chelsea meet in the Champions League final in Istanbul, as the Manchester club aim to win the trophy for the first time, while the Londoners look to emulate their triumph of 2012.
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