We’ll bounce back, pledges Tuchel

THOMAS Tuchel is backing his Chelsea players to bounce back quickly from their FA Cup agony at the hands of Leicester City, writes Chris Watson.

Youri Tielemans scored a stunning second half winner as the Foxes triumphed 1-0 to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.

But there is little time to dwell on that match, as the teams go head-to-head again tonight at Stamford Bridge in a crunch Premier League clash.

With two league games to go, Leicester are third in the table, two points ahead of fourthplaced Chelsea and three clear of fifth placed Liverpool.

One of those three sides will miss out on a top four finish this season.

Chelsea also face Manchester City in the final of the Champions League at the end of this month.

Tuchel believes his players are strong enough to brush Saturday’s disappointment to one side and focus on the job in hand.

“This is a strong group”, he told the club’s official website. “There is no reason to doubt these players, who have done so well to get into the top four from 10th place, to reach the FA Cup final and to be in the final of the Champions League.

“We are strong enough to handle these situations and these are the challenges that we face. It’s not easy, but it is fun, and there are a lot of teams chasing us and our situation.”

Asked about his preparations for the Leicester rematch, Tuchel added: “There is nothing much to do – we focus on our performance, this is what we always do. Now it’s about coming back, bouncing back, showing mentality again and belief.”