Champions League final: Kai Havertz says self-belief has got them here

Chelsea midfielder Kai Havertz believes self-belief is one of the main reasons behind their impressive run in the Champions League. The Blues will face Manchester City in the final on Saturday. The journey to the final has been nothing but easy for the Stamford Bridge team as they had to overcome difficult challenges from Atletico Madrid, Porto, and Real Madrid along the way. The 2-0 victory against Real in the second leg of the semifinals was the standout result, which got the attention of the entire Europe.

Under Thomas Tuchel’s management, Havertz has a chance to lift the illustrious trophy in Porto on Saturday. “We’ve picked up a lot of self-belief over the last few months from our good results and how we’ve played,” Havertz was quoted as saying by the club’s website. “Self-belief is generally very important in football and ours has improved a lot, so it’s made a difference. Porto and Atletico were difficult to play against because of their defensive strengths.”

“They set themselves up in their own halves and wait for you to make a mistake. For me, those were the most difficult games. My favourite game would be the second leg against Real Madrid when we reached the final. That was good. There’s been a few good games, but for me the highlight would have to be the game against Real.”

The German said it is important to give their all in the final on Saturday. “It’s about giving your all in the game, having fun, and hopefully winning,” said Havertz. “Being in the tunnel, walking out, hearing the anthem, and then giving your all for over 90 minutes… it’s a childhood dream which has been reached but not yet fulfilled. We still need to win and we’ll do everything we can to do just that.”

This will only be Chelsea’s third final appearance in the competition. In 2008, they lost to Manchester United in a heart-breaking penalty shoot-out. But four years later, the Blues got their hands on the trophy, stunning favourites Bayern Munich to the title.

Just like this season, not much was expected from Chelsea in 2012, but they surprised the entire Europe to beat Barcelona in semifinal before defeating Bayern in a shoot-out to lift the trophy under Roberto Di Matteo.