The German joined Chelsea as head coach between the end of this season’s group stage and the start of the knockout rounds, before guiding us past Atletico Madrid and Porto and into the last four.

That means it is the team’s journey through the Champions League this season, as well as his own, which is on his mind in the build-up to the first leg against Real Madrid, and he is in no doubt we have proven we belong at this high level.

‘We deserve to be in the semi-finals, like Real Madrid deserve to be in the semi-finals,’ he said. ‘We deserve it because we came a long way. I had the luck to be part of it since the start of the knockout phase and all the teams in the semi-finals have come a long way. They fought their way through in the toughest competition in Europe.

‘Right now we deserve through the competition to be here, and that’s why we are full of confidence and looking forward to playing these matches at the highest level. This is what we all dream about.’

However, when it comes to himself, there is no feeling of belonging at this level by right or taking things for granted.

Having worked his way up from coaching youth football in Germany to consecutive Champions League semi-finals as a manager, first with Paris Saint-Germain and now Chelsea, he has learned to appreciate how privileged he is just to be involved in the professional game, let alone such high-profile matches.

‘I’m a pretty lucky man, I know this and I’m very grateful and thankful for all the luck that I’ve had and all the people at my side who pushed me, who believed in me and gave me all the experience that I had and that made me into the coach that I am today.

‘When I started in academy football, every day was a gift and I enjoyed every day with my Under-14s in Stuttgart. Later it was the Under-15s and then it became the Under-19s and then it was the step to only be the coach of Mainz, being full-time in charge and not needing to work any other job. I could never imagine that someone in the Bundesliga would have the guts and the courage to let me coach a first division team, because that was very unusual without me having played a game at the very highest level.

‘So I’m grateful, but on the other hand it always felt very natural and right to be in that place. Not because I felt I deserved it, but just because it came naturally to me and I’m very grateful to all the people that helped me, of course first of all my family, and then everybody around me in coaching, in the academies and on my way through professional football.’

Tuchel also admitted that in those early days he never imagined his career could take him so far, not just because these heights seemed so far away, but because he spends so much time in his job worrying about the day-to-day and the next game, there was little time left to waste on dreaming.

‘Honestly I have every week a lot of doubts about what we do, how we play and whether we can keep the momentum going, so I’ve never had thoughts about where I could end up. Like I said, I’m very grateful for having the possibility to experience this high level and to arrive tonight with such a great club and a great team in the semi-finals of the Champions League again.

‘It’s the second time I’ve been here but I’m far from taking it for granted and far from thinking this is where I belong and this is what I deserve. I’m a lucky man and I’m very happy to be here, but it’s an obligation at the same time, to give my very best and be fully focused on tonight.’