Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that the duo of Cesar Azpilicueta and Romelu Lukaku are doubtful for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final at Real Madrid.
Chelsea went 3-1 down in the first leg of the tie hosted at Stamford Bridge but after brushing off Southampton 6-0 on Saturday, they will be heading into the game with some renewed hope.
Karim Benzema put Chelsea’s defense to the sword with a sublime hat-trick. It remains to be seen whether the Blues can script a stunning comeback to make the last four of the elite competition.
Speaking about his fit players ahead of the Madrid game, Tuchel told the club’s official portal: “He (Lukaku) wasn’t in training yesterday, he was in too much pain. There is not a lot of time, we have only two training sessions, and we leave the country on Monday. We need to wait, I have no answer right now.
Elsewhere, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta was sidelined for the Saints encounter after testing positive for coronavirus. The duo is facing a race against time to be fit for Chelsea.
The Blues have an eight-point cushion over fifth-placed Arsenal after yesterday’s win. With eight games left, they are in a solid position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
