Thomas Tuchel has delivered his reasoning for his selection of the Chelsea squad to face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday night.
Chelsea travel to Teesside in the hope of securing a place in next month’s semi-finals at Wembley as they take on the Championship outfit at the Riverside Stadium.
Chelsea XI will face Middlesbrough: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Sarr, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Ziyech, Lukaku, Pulisic
Bench: Bettinelli, Alonso, Kenedy, Chalobah, Kante, Barkley, Havertz, Vale, Werner
What was said?
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On the team selection, Tuchel said: “We have fresh legs and fresh minds on the pitch to put the pressure on them, control the game and get answers to their strong attacking approach.
“We are expecting a tough game as Middlesbrough have proven in their last cup matches that they are capable of outperforming and enjoy playing the underdog role. Today is the same situation. .”
He added: “We always play for our spectators and the same minimum level for the hundreds of people who work at Chelsea and who are not in the spotlight.
“They’re also in limbo, so we’re doing it for them. We’re in the spotlight so we can set the tone and show the spirit to stay positive.”
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