Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has backed Chelsea to ‘go far’ in the UEFA Champions League under new head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Chelsea finished top of their Champions League group under Lampard, who was sacked last month after a poor run and replaced by former PSG and Dortmund boss Tuchel.
Chelsea – who are yet to suffer any defeat under Tuchel, climbing to fourth in the Premier League with four consecutive wins – face Atletico Madrid in the last-16 stage of the competition.
Diego Simeone’s side, currently top of the Spanish league, will prove a strong opposition for Chelsea but Flick has talked up the club’s chances of enjoying a good run in Europe.
‘Chelsea have massive potential both in terms of quality and quantity,’ Flick, who led Bayern Munich to Champions League glory last campaign, told France Football.
‘It’s a young team with a lot of talent. They can go far in the Champions League this season. ‘Thomas [Tuchel] has gained experience at PSG that will benefit him at Chelsea. He’s ready for this challenge.’
However, Tuchel is wary of the threat of Atletico and says it will be ‘super hard’ for the blues team to progress to the next stage of the competition.
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Speaking after the win over Newcastle United, Tuchel said: ‘We will do everything to go through but you know very well that Atletico are top of the league and are by far the top of the league in Spain.
‘They [Atletico] are one of the toughest teams in Spain and are still a challenge. It is a two-match elimination as you know well.
‘We will focus on Southampton and the best way to arrive in the Champions League with a good performance. ‘Hopefully another win, we will see on Monday who we can count on and who is ready to play.
‘We are confident enough to say we play these two games [against Atletico] to get to the next round, but it will be super hard.’
