Lukas Engel is daring to dream with Middlesbrough claim ahead of decisive Chelsea clash

Less than three years ago Lukas Engel was on the fringes of the Vejle team in the Danish Superliga. The thought of realising his dream of playing in England and at Wembley seemed so far off he admits he wouldn't have even dared to dream about it.

Now, however, the 24-year-old is just 90 minutes away from realising that exact dream, and sees no reason why he and Middlesbrough can't make it a reality at Chelsea this evening. Though huge underdogs in the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg, they head to Stamford Bridge with a 1-0 lead after a magical evening at the Riverside.

And speaking to Danish magazine Tipsbladet ahead of the deciding game, Engel said: "[The first leg] It was definitely one of the biggest matches in my career. It's special to play two matches, but the game at Stamford Bridge becomes even bigger because that's where it all gets decided.

READ MORE: Lukas Engel opens up on early Middlesbrough struggles and Boro's turnaround in fortunes

“I think we have a good chance of reaching the final. We have given ourselves a good starting point, but the return match will be a completely different game. Chelsea will come at us with everything they have. They will attack us from the first second, so we need to be ready for that.

“It has gone insanely fast. From being a player on the periphery in Vejle, to stepping in and playing every weekend in the Superliga for Silkeborg, to now being in a semi-final where the chances of making it all the way to Wembley are good. I probably wouldn't have dared to dream about that, to be honest.

“It's a balance between having respect for it, but at the same time, trusting in your own abilities. I'm also a good player, and I can compete at that level. It's exactly what you dream of when you grow up. It will be a cool challenge."

Engel's interview comes shortly after his chat with BBC Tees after netting his first goal for Boro at Millwall recently. In it, he showed his strength of character as he discussed his challenging start at Boro and overcoming that after being axed at half-time during a particularly torrid evening at Sheffield Wednesday.

Reflecting further on that with Tipsbladet, Engel said: "My start was marked by the fear of not breaking through and not living up to the expectations that others might have. Especially the club that signed me, but also the fans. But I always believed that I would make it.

“It just took a crappy game against Sheffield Wednesday for me to realise that I needed to change some things mentally. Our start to the season wasn't very good. We lost more games than we won, but even though it went bad, we always believed that we would turn it around. It was just a matter of time.”