Chelsea will head to Seville to take on Porto in Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg desperate to hit back to form after Saturday’s 5-2 thumping by West Brom.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the last-eight clash.
Tuchel seeks calm after the storm
We’re on our way to Seville! ✈️#PORCHE pic.twitter.com/23mquL9zMC
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 6, 2021
Chelsea’s Easter weekend went from bad to worse, when Saturday’s 5-2 battering by West Brom was followed up by Toni Rudiger and Kepa Arrizabalaga clashing in training on Sunday. Germany defender Rudiger and Spain goalkeeper Kepa squared up to each other on the Cobham training centre pitches and had to be separated by team-mates and staff. Blues boss Tuchel insists the matter has already been put to bed however, with both men showing “courage” to make the necessary apologies and move on.
Chelsea face their first major mental test under Tuchel
Here’s our confirmed squad for this week’s @ChampionsLeague trip! ??#PORCHE #UCL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 6, 2021
New Blues boss Tuchel had pulled off a club-record 14-match unbeaten start at the Stamford Bridge helm, but all that came crashing down on Saturday. Thiago Silva’s red card changed the clash entirely, but Chelsea were resoundly beaten once down to 10 men. Now both Tuchel himself and his squad must hit back to top form without delay, and this represents the first major adversity of the likeable German’s west London tenure.
Porto desperate to hype up the underdogs tag
A neutral venue for both legs
Chelsea forced to start without Kante
