Chelsea news: The Blues will face Real Madrid once more in the Champions League as Jose Mourinho makes his feelings clear on the winner.
Jose Mourinho has made his feelings very clear on two of his former clubs meeting in the Champions League quarter-finals once more as Chelsea drew Real Madrid yet again. Having gone years without facing each other this is now the third time in a row that the two sides will face-off in the competition.
Chelsea got the better of serial winners Madrid in the 2021 semi-finals without fans in the ground on their way to winning the trophy, beating their opponents 3-1 on aggregate. Los Blancos then got their revenge with a frantic 5-4 win over two legs, coming out on top in extra time.
The games have had a bit of everything from late drama and stunning hat-tricks to solo goals and major disappointment. Now the reigning champions of Europe play the pride of London once more.
“There is a club that is close to my heart and there is a manager who is my friend,” Mourinho said after more European success himself with Roma in the Europa League. "Real Madrid are great and Carlo Ancelotti is great! Hopefully they will go on in this way to win the final.”
Meanwhile Ancelotti has also delivered a message, revealing how Chelsea helped his new side to beat Liverpool in the last round. "We have had the experience of last year against Chelsea," the Italian said before the 1-0 second leg win. "We had a three-goal advantage, that is why we are and were favourites, but the other fact is that we have to play another 90 minutes.
"To do that, we have to play with the same attitude as the first leg. We have the advantage, but we can't think of managing the game and the result that we had, we have to play 90 minutes at the top." There was no such drop-off this season with a dominant 6-2 victory securing progression.