The newest encounter between Real Madrid and Chelsea within the Champions League will put a highlight on their coaches.
Chelsea will journey for Wednesday’s first leg in Madrid with Frank Lampard attempting to win for the primary time since being named interim coach.
Madrid will play nonetheless surrounded by doubts about Carlo Ancelotti’s future amid rumours of him taking up Brazil’s nationwide staff.
The final result might probably assist Lampard reclaim a everlasting job with the English membership, or affect Ancelotti’s resolution on whether or not to just accept the Brazil job.
Chelsea appointed Lampard to interchange Graham Potter and misplaced its first sport with him in cost within the Premier League over the weekend. The membership enters the match on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on a four-match winless run. It has received solely two of its final 11 matches within the Premier League, the place it sits in eleventh place.
“We have an opportunity against a fantastic team and we just have to attempt to make the most of the opportunity — go there with confidence and go there with a belief, because otherwise you don’t turn up,” mentioned Lampard, the previous Chelsea midfield nice who additionally coached the staff from 2019-21.
Ancelotti and Madrid are coming off a 3-2 house loss to Villarreal that all-but-ended the staff’s hopes of profitable the Spanish league, leaving it 13 factors behind chief Barcelona with 10 matches remaining. Its focus now could be on the Champions League and the Copa del Rey remaining towards Osasuna in May.
Ancelotti has mentioned he desires to stay with Madrid till the top of his contract subsequent 12 months, however acknowledged that he was flattered to find out about Brazil’s curiosity in him. Brazil’s nationwide staff has an interim coach since after the World Cup and desires a substitute to be introduced quickly.
The final two Champions League winners, Madrid and Chelsea have gotten used to dealing with one another within the knockout levels of the competitors not too long ago.
Madrid obtained the perfect of Chelsea within the quarterfinals final season on its technique to a record-extending 14th European title. Chelsea overcame Madrid within the semifinals within the earlier 12 months to finally safe its second Champions League trophy.
Chelsea eradicated Madrid 3-1 on combination amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020-21, whereas Madrid final 12 months superior with a 5-4 whole rating following further time in an exhilarating second leg on the Bernabeu.
Madrid is trying to make it to the semifinals for the eleventh time in 13 seasons, whereas Chelsea has appeared within the final 4 solely as soon as since 2013-14.
Madrid has received six of its eight Champions League video games this season, with a loss at Leipzig and a draw at Shakhtar Donetsk within the group stage. Chelsea has 5 victories, one draw and two defeats — to Dinamo Zagreb within the group stage and to Borussia Dortmund within the first leg of the spherical of 16. The draw got here towards Salzburg within the group stage.
Ancelotti can have almost all of his gamers accessible for the primary leg, aside from left again Ferland Mendy.
Mason Mount and N’Golo Kante didn’t play in Chelsea’s final sport within the Premier League however returned to coaching on Monday and must be accessible for the journey to the Spanish capital.
The winner of the collection will face Manchester City or Bayern Munich within the semifinals.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com