Rio Ferdinand has pinpointed the significance of Chelsea scoring the first goal against Real Madrid this evening should they want to progress. The Blues are currently trailing 3-1 after the first-leg defeat last week.
Thomas Tuchel has included Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timo Werner in his XI as he looks to overturn a two-goal deficit against the 13-times champions of Europe. The Chelsea boss knows it will be a very difficult challenge for his side, though, as they look to retain their European crown.
Joe Cole, formerly of Chelsea, has been assessing his old side's chances of producing a comeback this evening. Cole said to BT Sport: "I thought that they were dreadful in the first half. They were a lot better in the second half and, despite the mistake, were much better than their first-half showing."
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He added: "Of course, you'd take an early goal, you'd be in dream world. It's a process for the Chelsea players. I think Timo Werner coming in is quite a statement because he's been out in the cold. It's about moments.
"This is the Bernabeu we're talking about. They're sitting pretty at the top of the table. They're going to come out here and try to dominate the ball, so you have to weather the storm early on. You cannot go a goal down, it's imperative they focus on that."
Ferdinand thinks an early goal is crucial to how the tie pans out. He said: "I'm sure there is a game-plan somewhere, but the main thing should be: 'We get the first goal. We shut the crowd up'. It's a difficult task, a tall order. There's been teams with bigger tasks than today."
Steve McManaman added: "It's only rhetoric what the manager said last week. He said the right things, criticised the team, focused on Southampton, and wanted a response from his team, which he got.
"But it has no effect on tonight whatsoever. It's not going to impact how Madrid players or the atmosphere of the stadium. It's all about the Chelsea 11, how they approach the game, no mistakes, no silly tackles, no rash challenges in the box and giving penalties away."
