The Blues will turn their attention towards European football after the recent lacklustre display at Elland Road as Thomas Tuchel’s men gear up to welcome Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Last-16 fixture.
Chelsea had emerged well-deserved victors in the reverse fixture held in Spain last month and Tuchel’s hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League rest on his players putting in a repeat of their previous exploits.
It is fair to say that the west Londoners did not hit the ground running as expected when facing Leeds United this past weekend but Tuchel’s side salvaged a draw against a tricky opponent, keeping the German coach’s unbeaten streak since taking over at Stamford Bridge going strong.
Atletico Madrid have been tremendous this season in top-flight action back in Spain but heading into the midweek clash against Chelsea, the La Liga table-toppers have not enjoyed the best of form with two victories out of their last four outings.
However, Tuchel and Co. would be wary of the threat Diego Simeone’s high-flying outfit can possess when the stakes are as high for Wednesday night’s meeting in London as a place among the continent’s best sides in the final eight of the Champions League campaign.
WHEN & WHERE?
It's Atletico Madrid up next! 👊#MondayMotivation pic.twitter.com/mqmhU5CtBU
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 15, 2021
Date: Wednesday 17 March
Time: 9 PM GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TEAM NEWS
Timo Werner and Olivier Giroud could be in line for recalls as Thomas Tuchel had surprisingly opted to field an eleven at Elland Road without any natural striker, with Kai Havertz having to bear the central forward role to little success.
Giroud had been the matchwinner last time around for Chelsea in the Champions League and the Frenchman’s big-game experience could be handy for the Blues’ hopes of securing further progress in the competition.
Tammy Abraham remains sidelined for up to a month with an aggravation of the ankle injury sustained by the England international last month.
