Kai Havertz has admitted he is flattered to be compared to Chelsea legend Didier Drogba as the German prepares for tonight's mammoth task against Real Madrid. The Blues trail 3-1 going into this evening's second-leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Havertz set to be key in any possible comeback.
The 22-year-old was the man on the scoresheet for Chelsea in the first-leg defeat at Stamford Bridge last week, but it was a disappointing attacking display from the European champions on the night. Real Madrid were clinical, however, and the Blues will be hoping it will be roles reversed this time around.
Havertz's knack for scoring in the 'bigger' games, including the winning goal in last season's Champions League final against Manchester City, has earned him comparisons to club legend Drogba. The Chelsea forward has been speaking about being likened to the former Ivorian striker.
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He told Chelsea's official website: "It is good when being compared to players that have played well in the past. It definitely feels good when the fans or people compare you to such a player.
"He has scored even more important goals than me. So, in the next few years, I will try to get there so that I fully deserve that comparison."
Havertz is Chelsea's top scorer this season, with 13 goals to his name in all competitions. The classy German is in superb form and is establishing himself as one of the top attacking players in the Premier League after a mixed debut campaign in England.
The former Bayer Leverkusen man will be integral if Chelsea have any chance of overturning the two-goal deficit in Madrid this evening. Fortunately for Thomas Tuchel, Havertz has been speaking about how he loves producing on the biggest stage as he details his plan for the match at the Santiago Bernabeu.
"Naturally I want to be able to show my qualities during such moments because everyone is watching," Havertz said. "There's probably also been important games where I did not perform well.
"But people seem to remember the games where I played well, where I scored. At the Club World Cup it was a rather difficult game and, in the first 117 minutes, I did not play my best game. But, nevertheless, people now remember the winning goal - the penalty.
"I simply try to stay calm during such important moments and just focus on myself and simply enjoy what I am doing. Otherwise, when you're 35-years-old one day, you may ask yourself: 'Why didn't I enjoy that moment more back then?'
"Or [you could think]: 'Why didn't I stop and take a breath back when I took that penalty and thought, 'Wow! Awesome, you're standing here, and people are watching you, just enjoy this.' That's why I try to enjoy those moments as much as possible."
Havertz will be looking to replicate his recent form this evening, so that his second campaign in England, and at Chelsea, concludes in a similar fashion to what we saw last year. The 13-times champions of Europe and a two-goal deficit stands in the way, though.
