"It would be amazing" - Chelsea star Mateo Kovačić reveals Champions League final dream ahead of FC Porto tie

Author:: Vayam Lahoti
Publish date:: Apr 7, 2021

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovačić has expressed his desire of representing his side in the Champions League final ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final first-leg clash against FC Porto.

The 26-year-old has been one of the Blues' best and most consistent outfield players this campaign, with 37 appearances across all competitions under his belt.

"It would be nice to play a final with Chelsea, it would be amazing, but we are in the quarter-final now, we should take it step by step. We have a big opponent tomorrow, which is Porto," said the Croat, in his pre-match press-conference, as quoted by Chelsea.

Kovačić, who spent three seasons playing for Real Madrid [2015-2018], won Europe's elite club competition in each of those seasons with the Spanish giants before sealing a loan switch to Chelsea, which was made permanent in the summer of 2019 for an estimated fee of £40 million.

He added: "I think this Chelsea team can go very far and we are more and more confident in ourselves in every game. We have a great mixture between young talents and experienced players.

"So, we are ready for every opponent and every challenge which will come. Tomorrow is a big game and all players like to play big games, so we will be prepared and proud to play a big game for Chelsea."

The World-Cup finalist further delivered his verdict on Porto, who caused a major upset in the Round of 16 stage of this season's competition after knocking out Juventus over two legs.

He said: "It was a difficult draw. Porto are a good team which we saw already against Juventus. They knocked out a big opponent, they showed togetherness and great spirit.

"They [Porto] fight together, they stick together and so it will be a tough game for us, like every game in the Champions League, but we are prepared for it."

"When I played before at Real Madrid, I learned that in this stage there are no bad opponents. This is a tough draw, Porto is an amazing team and they knocked out Juventus, a big opponent.

"They [Porto] showed a great character and a great team spirit. We need to show that as well and try our best to go through but it won’t be easy.

‘They [Porto] can play against any team, but we are a good team as well and we prepared ourselves very well for the game and we will show that. Tomorrow is a big day for us and I’m sure that the whole team is focused on that."

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