Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says Porto moenie nog met k@k stories kom nie, sy bors is klaar warm.
Heading into tonight’s Champions League first leg quarterfinal clash at Stamford Bridge, the Blues suffered their first defeat under Tuchel in 15 games on the weekend – going down 5-2 to West Brom on their own turf.
And with reports doing the rounds that Porto captain Pepe is trying to get his team fired up for tonight’s clash by saying Chelsea celebrated when they were drawn against the Portuguese side in the quarters, Tuchel says “it’s only normal that Porto create the underdog [tag]”.
Tuchel says his manne is klaar wakker geklap, explaining: “We will take it as a big slap in the face that result. Let’s take it like this.
“We got a big slap in the face and if it was required to remind us how tough it is to have clean sheets and keep winning, we keep it like this. It’s normal that people create stories around this and it's normal that Porto create the underdog.”
Pepe, 38, is known for confrontational game and with his side knocking out Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus in the previous round, he is ready to fight for a place in the semis.
The former Real Madrid star says: “The Juventus match is already in the past. This is the important one now. We must show a lot of passion and humility and work as a team.
“It will be difficult, but we want to win this tie.”