Thomas Tuchel jokes he will drive minibus to Lille for Champions League clash

Thomas Tuchel has given an update on Chelsea's travel plans ahead of their Champions League last-16 meeting with Lille on Wednesday, joking that he is willing to drive a minibus to the fixture.

Long-term club owner Roman Abramovich was added to the UK government's sanctions list on Thursday, which is set to have wide-ranging implication for the Blues.

Until Chelsea is sold, one of the the issues they need to deal with is a limit on spending on away travel. Their budget is currently capped at £20,000 per game, which has raised concerns over the Blues' trip to Lille in midweek.

When quizzed on the issue after his side's 1-0 win over Newcastle, Tuchel did not seem overly concerned.

"My last information is we have a plane and we can go by plane and come back by plane. If not we go by train, if not by bus, if not I will drive a seven-seater," he said.

"If you asked me 30 years ago if I could join a Champions League match at the sideline, I'd say when do I need to be there and how do I need to be there."

Tuchel also denied that the unrest at Stamford Bridge affected his players in the build-up to the game.

"Not more than in the last game. We are not responsible for the situation so it's our responsibility to focus on what we do good. There are a lot of people I see on a daily basis who are worried. They've worked here for decades but are not famous and they are worried about the future," he said.

"So we see what it means to these people, even if it is for 90 minutes. Like during Covid, we play to give people joy, anger, entertainment.

"The Kai Havertz goal was exceptional and we had a hard time on the pitch. They were very physical and it was difficult to accelerate the game in the last 30 metres. It was important not to concede so that with one quality chance we could win it and we did it."


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Source : 90min