UCL: Tuchel excited over Chelsea’s opponent in the quarter-final

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed excitement as his side were paired against Real Madrid in the UCL quarter-final.

This will be the second time Chelsea will be paired against Real Madrid under Tuchel as coach.

Recall that the Blues defeated Real Madrid 3-1 on aggregate in the semi-final stages of last season’s tournament, and they hope to repeat the same in the quarter-final this season.

However, there is a change at Real Madrid as Tuchel will face Carlo Ancelotti rather than Zinedine Zidane, who was in charge last season.

“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,” Tuchel said.

If Chelsea are able to defeat Real Madrid, they will face one of Manchester City or Atletico Madrid in the semi-finals, and Tuchel has said he is happy to avoid an English side in the quarter-finals of the European competition.