Thomas Tuchel has told his players to enjoy the biggest week of their lives.
Tuchel has even decided to give his players Tuesday as a day off to draw a line between the disappointment of losing at Aston Villa on Sunday - and then building up to the Champions League final.
Chelsea boss Tuchel said for many it will be a “dream come true” to play Manchester City on Saturday with the ultimate prize at stake and setting the right tone in the dressing room will be crucial to overcoming the team he regards as the best in Europe.
“I want them to be here on Wednesday full of joy because this is maybe one of their most exciting weeks in their whole lives as professional players,” said Tuchel.
“We are allowed to prepare a final in the Champions League and this is a dream come true, and this is the atmosphere we want to build.
“I’m not so sure what the headlines will be and what the points to focus will be. This will be decided as a team tomorrow.”
Tuchel reached the Champions League final last year but his Paris Saint Germain team lost to Bayern Munich.
Now is the chance to go one better but says they must beat the best team in Europe and overcome the best coach in the world.
Tuchel has twice beaten City this season - once at the Etihad and also in the FA Cup semi final - and they will start as underdogs but says they can pull off another surprise.
“Manchester City is clearly the benchmark of our league so it is the toughest opponent to play against and this is how it should be,” said Tuchel.
"We don't lose ourselves too much in thoughts like this. From the moments that the semi-finals were played it was clear this could happen but we focused totally on us. We arrived at the final, and that is an incredible achievement, and once you arrive you want to be at your very best.
“With City, and Pep on the other side, they are maybe at the moment the best team in Europe, maybe even in the world. It is on us again to close the gap for 90 minutes.
“The good thing is that we did it already. We played exactly this team in exactly the same circumstances a very short period of time ago, and this is for us the point to continue from and the point to make us believe.
“Football can be anything in final – of course, anything is possible in any direction. We want to push luck and destiny, and get this game on our side.”
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the only player for the Blues to have Champions League winning experience but, despite being a substitute each time, was a bit part player in three successive trophies.
This time Kovacic hopes to start - but says just being involved is important in the Chelsea “family.”
Kovacic added: “It’s never easy but I played my part in the team which was to be there and if someone was injured or couldn’t play then I was there to help.
“At Chelsea, it’s a little bit different. It would be huge for me to play in a final, when I left Madrid, I said I would work very hard to reach a final, now thanks to God I have reached a final and we play a big game on Saturday.
“But the most important thing is that we win, it’s never important who will be star of the game, the most important thing is the team and I think Chelsea will show we are a family, we will do that on Saturday to be a team and to win a trophy.
“There is no fear because we love to play football. There is pressure. It will be tough. Tough opponent. City is a great team having a great season. They will be confident. But we will be as well.”
