Fluminense manager Renato Gaucho has revealed that his side are fueled by their underdog mentality ahead of the semifinal tie against Chelsea.
The Brazilian side arrived at the tournament with low odds of progressing from the group stage but have defied all expectations to advance to the last four of the competition.
They qualified from a group that also included Borussia Dortmund, Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan Hyundai, recording an impressive draw against the German side in their opening group game.
Fluminense recorded an upset in the round of 16, eliminating European giants Inter Milan before defeating Al-Hilal in the last eight of the competition.
“When I say we’re the ugly duckling, with all due respect to all the other clubs, I’m talking about our financial situation,” Renato said. “Fluminense is only 10% of the financial size of these big clubs. So these big clubs have all the resources to sign the best players.
What got Fluminense to the semifinals was exactly the attitude my team had on the pitch, their concentration, their focus and the hard work of the whole team”, the 62-year old continued.
“It will be a game of patience. We will be careful,” Renato added, speaking of the last four clash against Chelsea.
“Of course, possession will be very important, especially at 3 p.m., which is the kickoff time. The heat is unbearable! If you have to keep running after your opponent, if you don’t have possession, you wear yourself out.
We have the utmost respect for Chelsea, but it’s a game of chess. You can be sure that it will be a tight game, at least in my opinion, with few opportunities. And whoever takes advantage of all the data will certainly be the winner”, he concluded.
The Brazilian side go up against Chelsea on Tuesday, with the winner of the tie heading to the final of the competition for a clash against either Real Madrid or Paris Saint Germain.
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