As Madrid hosts Chelsea in the Champions League, pay attention to the managers.
The most recent Champions League match between Real Madrid and Chelsea will highlight both teams' head coaches.
Frank Lampard will attempt to win for the first time since being named temporary coach when Chelsea departs for the first leg in Madrid on Wednesday.
Carlo Ancelotti's future will continue to be a topic of discussion before Madrid's game amid suspicions that he may take charge of Brazil's national team.
The result may help Lampard reclaim a permanent position with the English club or may have an impact on Ancelotti's choice to accept the Brazil post.
Graham Potter was replaced by Lampard at Chelsea, who dropped its opening Premier League match under his leadership this past weekend. The team has lost its last four games going into the meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. It is currently in 11th place in the Premier League after winning only two of its previous eleven games.
The former great Chelsea midfielder who also served as the squad's coach from 2019 to 21 remarked, "We have an opportunity against a magnificent team and we just have to try to make the most of the situation — go there with confidence and go there with a belief, because otherwise you don't turn up."
With 10 games left, Madrid sits 13 points behind league-leading Barcelona after a 3-2 home loss to Villarreal that all but destroyed the team's chances of winning the Spanish title. The Champions League and the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna in May are currently its main priorities.
Although Ancelotti has stated that he intends to stay with Real Madrid to the conclusion of his contract in a year, he did admit that he was flattered to learn of Brazil's interest in him. Brazil's national team has been led by an interim coach since the World Cup, and they want to find a permanent replacement shortly.
Madrid and Chelsea, the last two Champions League champions, are accustomed to competing against one another in recent years.
In the quarterfinals of the previous campaign, Madrid defeated Chelsea to win its record-extending 14th European championship. Chelsea eventually won their second Champions League championship after defeating Madrid in the semifinals the year before.
In the midst of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020–21, Chelsea defeated Madrid 3–1 on aggregate, while Madrid triumphed previous year with a 5–4 final score after an exciting second leg at the Bernabeu.
Chelsea has just once made it to the final four since 2013–14, whereas Madrid is attempting to reach the semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
Madrid has won six of its eight Champions League games so far this season, with two group-stage losses—against Leipzig and to Shakhtar Donetsk. Chelsea has a record of five wins, one tie, and two losses, both to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the round of 16 and to Dinamo Zagreb in the group stage, respectively. In the group stage, Salzburg was defeated by the draw.
Save for left defender Ferland Mendy, Ancelotti will have practically all of his players available for the opening game.
While Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante did not participate in Chelsea's final Premier League match, they started training again on Monday and should be available for the trip to Madrid.
In the semifinals, the series victor will take on either Bayern Munich or Manchester City.
