Thomas Tuchel has played down his childhood love of Tottenham ahead of Chelsea’s clash with the north Londoners on Thursday.

He said: “They are one of the biggest clubs in England and in Europe, for sure.

“It’s a big challenge but don’t get confused: when I was a boy once or twice it was me pretending to be Tottenham in the garden, it was to show off more in front of my friends. Because actually I didn’t even know Tottenham were a team in London.

“It was just a fancy name and a team we could see on TV for a few minutes.

“Later of course with Jurgen Klinsmann and some German players there that led to a bigger focus.

“But there’s no doubt that I arrive [on Thursday] in blue, proud to coach in blue and proud to coach my team and we will do everything to win the game.”