Carlo Ancelotti drops Real Madrid Champions League team news hint vs Chelsea amid midfield test

Both Chelsea and Real Madrid head into their Champions League quarter-final first-leg clash off the back of a defeat so both sides will be desperate to set the record straight on Wednesday evening

Speaking in the post-match press conference after Real Madrid's loss to Villarreal, Ancelotti teased his starting line-up to face the west London outfit. The Italian said: "In terms of the Champions League, it’s a defeat that doesn’t change our mood for Wednesday’s game, which will be different.

"I may repeat the same 11 from the Camp Nou. I made a lot of rotations today because the game against Barcelona demanded a lot from us physically and mentally."

Ancelotti also commented on the concerns his side faced when playing with four forwards. He added: "Balance is very important, but sometimes you plan a game so as not to have much balance taking into account the pros and cons.

"We wanted to have an open game, but today it cost us a lot to recover. They put us in balls between the lines and they attacked us from behind. If I put the four forwards [in] it is because I think that balance is not the most important thing. If I think about balance, I would have put a more controlled team in midfield."

Then, on Aurelien Tchoumeni, the former Chelsea boss said: "Everyone has been at a lower level than normal. Motivation was difficult to have at 100% after the Barcelona game. It's pretty normal. This defeat hurts us. I don't like to talk about individualities because only a few players have been at a high level today."