"Unleash the forgotten man" - Chris Sutton explains how Chelsea can get back into the tie against Real Madrid

[L-to-R] Chris Sutton; Blues boss Thomas Tuchel

Four-time Scottish Premier League winner Chris Sutton has urged Chelsea to "unleash" Timo Werner when they take on Real Madrid tonight (April 12).

The Blues travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal.

Thomas Tuchel's side will have to overcome a 3-1 deficit if they are to progress into the semifinals of the competition. They were poor for large swathes of the first leg at Stamford Bridge and simply couldn't deal with Karim Benzema, who scored a hat-trick.

Their attack was also toothless, as they got just five shots on target from 20 attempts and missed a few presentable chances.

With Romelu Lukaku not traveling to Madrid due to an Achilles tendon issue, Sutton believes Chelsea need to utilize Werner's potential and pace. He wrote in his column for the Daily Mail:

"With Romelu Lukaku not even in the squad, it is time for Chelsea to unleash the forgotten man Timo Werner. His pace and movement can combine well with the guile of Kai Havertz to cause Real Madrid plenty of issues."

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The former Celtic forward added:

"Tuchel has sounded so negative about Chelsea’s chances of producing a Champions League comeback against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, describing it as an ‘almost impossible’ task. If that defeatist attitude is genuine and he does indeed think they’ve got nothing to lose, isn’t it worth throwing Werner into the mix? Why not?"

Sutton further said that while Werner's goal record isn't the best, he puts in the hard yards. He also re-emphasized that the forward plays well alongside Kai Havertz, who scored the Blues' only goal in the first leg.

Sutton continued:

"Chelsea need goals, and though Werner hasn’t set the world alight since signing, he’s guaranteed to work his socks off. Lukaku hasn’t travelled to Madrid so Werner and Havertz playing off one another could represent their best bet of striking early in this European encounter."

Timo Werner is likely to start for Chelsea against Real Madrid

Werner has seen his playing time largely limited this season due to injury, COVID-19, and Lukaku's arrival. He has played 30 matches across all competitions for his club this term but has averaged only around 55 minutes per appearance.

However, the German's Champions League record this season has been good, as he has netted three times and assisted once in four games.

Werner also enters this match after scoring twice in the Blues' 6-0 drubbing of Southampton in the Premier League over the weekend.

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It looks very likely that Tuchel will throw the forward into the mix from the start as his side look to overturn their two-goal deficit against Real Madrid.