Wednesday night will bring in front of football fans two great Champions League games and one of them is of course Real Madrid vs Chelsea. Madridistas will host the Blues in Santago Bernabeu in what will be the third consecutive meeting between the parties. Ancelotti has called up his players as Ferland Mendy is still injured and will miss the game. He’s the only Real Madrid player not available for this one, so coach Carlo Ancelotti will have depth at his disposal. The referee will be François Letexier. The Frenchman will oversee a game involving our team in the competition for the first time.
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Courtois, Lunin and Luis López.
Defenders: Carvajal, E. Militão, Alaba, Vallejo, Nacho, Odriozola, Lucas V. and Rüdiger.
Midfielders: Kroos, Modrić, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni and D. Ceballos.
Forwards: Hazard, Benzema, Asensio, Vini Jr., Rodrygo and Mariano.
After Real Madrid knocked out Liverpool in the Round of 16, they now face new Premier League opposition. The match-up will bring back positive memories for our boys, who came past Chelsea at the same stage last season on their way to the Decimocuarta. Ancelotti's charges will be hoping to take the first step towards the next round and they will need the home support to be in a vocal mood, having already shown last year just how important they are in making us the most decorated club in the competition's history.
The opposition: Chelsea come into the tie having knocked out Borussia Dortmund in the Round of 16. The English side have just recalled former player Frank Lampard to the dugout and currently lie eleventh in the Premier League despite having strengthened their squad in January. Only three of their many signings were eligible to be registered in the Champions League: Enzo Fernández, Joao Félix and Mudryk. With 9 goals in all competitions, Havertz is the leading marksman so far for a team that has won five of their last six games in European competition.
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room at Real Madrid Sport City the day prior to the game. He said: "It's important to think first that it's a 180-minute game and try to play well tomorrow. This game is not decisive but it could give us an advantage to take into the second leg. The team is feeling good, optimistic and motivated to play in Champions League again and see another magical night at the Bernabéu”.
"It's a different way of thinking to the other Champions League ties we've played in the past. We must take advantage of playing the first game at home to get ahead for the decider, which is the second leg. The team has always done well at home and away, except against PSG last year. We will look to play a well-rounded game, defend well, better than against Villarreal on Saturday, and attack if possible like we did at the Camp Nou in the second leg of the Cup semi-final”, the coach added.
The squad: "It's a group that gets on well with each other. They understand when it's time to joke and when it's time to be serious very well. Sometimes they have fun together, but they need no prompting when it's time to be serious. Managing this dressing room is very easy for me. I manage it very well. I'm fantastic at management, but there are other things. This team is well put together and if we win the Copa del Rey we will have won every possible title in two seasons. There are teams that don't manage that in a lifetime”.
Chelsea: "In last season's tie we suffered a lot and had a tough time even though we had a big advantage from the first leg. We have to respect the club because they have top players and in this type of game, with such a high level of motivation, they will bring their A-game. They have high quality players. I'm upset about their situation because I have wonderful memories of the club and the people who still work there. I am a Chelsea fan because I spent two good years there. I won't go back. I think Lampard is doing a great job with them”.
Lampard's return to the Chelsea dugout: "I'm 63 years old and I have 20 years more experience than him, but that's not going to change what's going to happen during the game. He is a great coach and a fantastic professional who I coached as a player. He knows how to prepare his team for this kind of game. I don't think experience is going to do much good for these ties. He arrived a week ago and he's going to do well for as long as he's at Chelsea”.
Praise for Vini Jr.: "He's unstoppable at the moment. Try as they might to stop him, he just keeps going. He's an extremely consistent player and what he does, he does every day. He doesn't hold back even in training. He's always goes all out”.
Valverde's state of mind: "He's well and motivated as is the whole team. He has been training well. I know him very well and he has spectacular and extraordinary human qualities. I don't want to comment on what happened, but tomorrow he's going to give his all, as always”.
Alaba's position: "At the moment he is doing well as a centre-back. The games he has played after his injury, against Valladolid and especially against Barcelona, he has done very well".
Last season's Champions League: "We deserved to win the Champions League because whoever wins it deserves it. I'm convinced of that. If you come back from games it's because you have more confidence and energy in the final minutes to win. The games are over when the referee blows the whistle, as Boskov used to say. We deserved to win it and we will try to deserve to win it this year too. Not because of the managerial apect but because we played better than the other teams. There were difficult moments, especially against Chelsea and City. We had the motivation not to give up and in the end we won it”.
His premonition of a final against Milan: "For Maldini and myself, Istanbul is not a very fond memory, especially the stadium and 2005. I have all the fondness in the world for Maldini. He was my team-mate, my captain and a fantastic man. It would be nice if we could meet on my birthday, when the Champions League final takes place”.
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