3 players who shouldn't start for Chelsea against Real Madrid in their quarterfinals second leg clash on Tuesday.
Chelsea will be hoping to book their passage into the next round of the Uefa Champions league when they take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their quarter-final tie on April 12.
The Blues will need to overturn a 3-1 home defeat if they are to stand a chance of knocking out Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Tuchel's team were humbled at Stamford Bridge during the first leg encounter and will be hoping to right their wrongs when both teams meet on Tuesday.
All hands will be needed on deck if the London side are to achieve what will be an emphatic win at the Bernabeu.
Chelsea need to play their cards perfectly to stage a comeback
Tuchel will need to get his tactics right this time around, and the first step to achieving such will be starting the right players for the game.
This article will thus be looking at three players who don't deserve to be in the Blues' starting XI against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
#1 Andreas Christensen
Considering what Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior did to Christensen during the first leg at Stamford Bridge, it would be wise for Tuchel not to start the defender at the Bernabeu.
Christensen was one of the few Chelsea players who were far from their best during the 3-1 home defeat.
Vinicius is absolutely destroying Christensen here and has been since minute one.
The Danish defender failed to close down Vinicius on the left flank, allowing the Brazilian to link up with hat-trick hero Karim Benzema.
Christensen wasn't just bold enough to take on Vinicius and it went a long way in affecting the Blues' defensive setup. Tuchel even took responsibility and admitted to making a mistake in asking Christensen to handle the Brazilian winger.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel admits 'MISTAKE' asking Andreas Christensen to deal with Vinicius: Christensen's torrid evening was ended when he was replaced at half-time by midfielder Mateo Kovacic, while Reece James was instructed to play deeper in the… dlvr.it/SN9NqR https://t.co/N4WeVh1CUE
It is expected that Real Madrid will want to exploit the right-hand side of Chelsea's defense once again, and so Tuchel should opt for Reece James instead.
The Chelsea defender has the pace and physicality to contain the tricky Vinicius on the right side of the back three.
#2 Jorginho
The Chelsea vice-captain hasn't really been at his beat for quite some time and has been in and out of Tuchel's starting XI in recent games.
Against Real Madrid in the first leg, Jorginho was off the pace and was guilty of allowing Carlo Ancelotti's team to gain control of the midfield.
Despite producing a lovely assist for Kai Havertz, the Italian international wasn't able to exert his authority in the game.
It would be wise for Tuchel to drop his vice-captain for either N'Golo Kante or Mateo Kovacic.
The duo have had better chemistry in recent games and their partnership tends to produce more direct play in attack. Their balance and synchronization was evident in Chelsea's 6-0 win away to Southampton. The duo registered 11 tackles and 20 forward passes between them against the Saints, showing how well balanced their partnership is.
Kovacic and Kante were absolutely outstanding yesterday.
Progressive defensive, security in possession and defensive intensity - every box was ticked. Two top-tier midfielders. https://t.co/EtQOMKgVcT
Real Madrid will possibly want to press Chelsea in midfield, and Jorginho has shown to be prone to such an aggressive approach. That should be reason enough for Tuchel to drop him on Tuesday.
#3 Timo Werner
A brace in his last game against Southampton is not enough reason for Werner to start against Real Madrid.
The possibility of Ancelotti's team sitting back to defend their 3-1 advantage at the Bernabeu is very high, meaning Werner may not have enough space to be effective.
The German striker has struggled to perform against teams that have deployed low-blocks, which is why Tuchel may need to drop him.
The Blues will need to be brave and direct on the ball if they are to drag Real Madrid's defenders out of position, a skill Werner lacks.
The Chelsea striker is more of a specialist in running behind a defense that adopts a high line, as it suits him much better due to his pace. He was in his element against the somewhat high line Southampton deployed.
Thomas Tuchel on Timo Werner:
"He could have scored more. He had huge chances and a lot of chances. It was his favourite position against an opponent we knew we could find spaces in behind."
[via @SkySports]
Starting Werner against Real Madrid in the second leg could be counter-productive. It will be better for him to come in the second half, as his pace could be vital at that point in the game.