I think I still enjoy the ups and downs that football throws at us, but with Chelsea it always seems to be a white-knuckle rollercoaster ride rather than a gentle little road trip over the hills wearing leather driving gloves. Brentford and Real Madrid at home followed by a trouncing of Southampton on the road gives us just about no clue as to what is going to happen next.Tonight could be one of the great comebacks in history but it could also see our defence of the Champions League trophy peter out quietly. Each outcome is just as likely as the other, but just in case there will be a temptation from every Chelsea fan to underline to anyone listening that as it stands, we still know who and what we are!I expect a spirited performance whatever happens and I do not expect any fear from the 11 who start in blue. Two goals in deficit away from home against a well-fancied side should oddly have the effect of relaxing the team. In the simplest terms, what have we got to lose? We might as well go out there and have a go, and judging by the game down at St Mary’s, that seems to be precisely the mindset at the moment.

As usual you do not want to pick out individuals after you have hit another Premier League club for six, but there were a few standouts even from the high bar the entire team set. I do go on about Kai Havertz a bit, but his recent record is magnificent and there is no doubt in my mind that the player we were always hoping to see is now right in front of us doing an extraordinary job week in week out.There were many positive comments about Timo after his flying start to the game at Southampton and Thomas will be seriously tempted to start him in this one to stretch the game. If Kai can hold the ball up, which he does exceptionally well under pressure, then Timo breaking from just behind is a great out ball in Madrid. It is not a stick-on however and there might still be the temptation to try the 3-5-2 formation that worked so well against Real last season. It is doubly tempting because in the home game this season we were overrun in midfield when N’Golo Kante and Jorginho regularly found themselves outnumbered and up against three top-class midfielders.

Whoever gets the nod, and boy didn’t the boy Mount do incredibly well at the weekend too, I anticipate Mateo Kovacic will be in the starting line-up. He pipped everyone for my man of the match against the Saints at the weekend, in the second half particularly. His energy levels as well as his skill are exactly what Carlo Ancelotti does not want to see his side have to cope with.Yes there may be a bit of a difference between what you face at St Mary’s on a Southampton off day at the end of the season in the league and the Bernabeu with Real determined to get back what they consider is their trophy.Even so, Kova looked imperious and a similar performance will upset the locals on and off the field, particularly with his history at their club. It is the sort of challenge he relishes and although this is an unusual task for the Blues, I think everyone else will be precisely the same.

Where can we look for hope in this tie when most people have written us off? There was that incredible 4-0 win away to Sevilla last season and the 2-0 win against Real themselves at Stamford Bridge, so it is not absolutely impossible. What about Real themselves this season, have there been moments of concern? Well that mostly comes down to one match, against Barcelona last month when they lost 4-0 at home.It was a very strong Real side that capitulated but crucially, the one man who didn’t play was a certain Monsieur Benzema and I think we discovered last week that he is actually quite good. Nonetheless, it shows it is not an impossible task, just improbable.The most obvious thing we can hope for is to somehow score an early goal. It is a cliché but it is also true. They will be spooked if we claw one back early as that could change the momentum completely.If you are a Madridista you may claim that you haven’t been spending your time counting your chickens or indeed considering your next opponents in the competition, but it is not easy to be totally focused, even at the very highest level, if most people are saying you are a stick-on to go through. We have to use any momentary situation were they to metaphorically or literally take their eyes off the ball.

What is fairly obvious is that although we need to score at least two goals, I do think a clean sheet is monumentally important. If Real score then climbing that mountain will be tougher than traversing the Himalayas in December wearing nothing but a pair of Speedos.

So there is the dilemma, how much do you go for it and how early? There is no perfect answer in these circumstances, but a concerted high-energy effort to put them off, a willingness to get forward at every opportunity, but with the defence and the keeper as vigilant as they have been at any time since the Champions League final last season, all seem vital.Then and only then is there a glimmer of a chance. Score that early goal however and that becomes much more than a glimmer. If we play at our best and just come short, I think most Chelsea fans will accept that and get ready for the next part of the rollercoaster ride.Is there anything else important in the offing as the season nears its end?Apart for the possible imminent sale of the football club, another great chance to get to an FA Cup final as well as the battle for the top four, nothing much really!