Chelsea will have to overperform on Tuesday night to reach the semi-finals of the 2021/2022 Champions League. That was the blunt assessment of coach Thomas Tuchel who led the west Londoners to triumph in the final of the competition last May.
Real Madrid entertain the defending champions at the Santiago Bernabeu nursing a 3-1 lead from the first leg at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday.
France international Karim Benzema hit a hat trick in the victory to put Madrid within sight of the last four for the second consecutive season.
In the semis last season, Chelsea beat them 3-1 on aggregate to reach the final.
Nearly a year on, Tuchel conceded his charges did not have the best chance of progress.
"It is unlikely but it is worth trying," said the 48-year-old German. "And trying means that we will play to our fullest and to our full limit. This is what it is, it is a big night.
Challenge
"It is one of the biggest challenges to perform as the away team at the Bernabeu, especially if you need a result. It is still worth trying and it is still a stage where you can overperform. We need to overperform."
The 3-1 first leg defeat in London came four days after Chelsea lost to relegation-threatened Brentford 4-1 in the Premier League.
Last Saturday Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 6-0 annihilation of Southampton to cement their place in third.
However, despite the two-goal advantage, the Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti - who led Chelsea to the 2010 Premier League and FA Cup double - said he would not underestimate Tuchel's team.
“Chelsea will come to fight to try to get through," said the Italian.
"Tuchel knows very well that it will be complicated but he’s going to try."
Madrid warmed up for Tuesday night's clash with a 2-0 win in La Liga over Getafe on Saturday.
Concentration
Midfielder Casemiro opened the scoring just before half-time and Lucas Vazquez added the second mid way through the second-half.
With seven matches remaining, Madrid boast a 12- point lead over Barcelona who have a game in hand.
"We played probably what was the best 90 minutes of our season in London last week," said Casemiro. "And we took a major step closer to qualifying for the semi-final.
"We know that it will be a tough game. They are defending champions and we won’t take this game lightly.
"We can't get overconfident and need our fans to create a great atmosphere so we can advance to the semi-finals."
