Real Madrid is confident ahead of Wednesday’s blockbuster Champions League quarter-final first leg tie against competition holders Chelsea.
That’s according to a recent report from The Athletic, who claim to have spoken to a ‘dressing room insider’ at the Spanish giants, who has admitted the team were ‘not unhappy’ after being drawn against Thomas Tuchel’s Blues.
This week’s intriguing quarter-final showdown will be a re-run of last season’s semi-final that saw the Londoners overcome their Spanish opponents 3-1 on aggregate, including an emphatic second leg 2-0 home win.
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However, this season will likely see a much different matchup take place and although the Blues lifted the prestigious trophy last summer, they’re currently enduring a very tough spell.
Facing problems both on and off the field, being thumped 4-1 against strugglers Brentford last weekend and most notably owner Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK Government, Tuchel’s pre-match preparations are far from ideal.
Speaking after the Brentford game on Saturday, Tuchel, as quoted by Marca, said: “It is not about Real Madrid.
“It is about us. It is one day off now and on Monday we start again.
“We selected this team because we thought it was the best team for Brentford. We didn’t have half an eye or one per cent of an eye on Real Madrid.”
In fact, according to The Athletic’s source, Carlo Ancelotti’s men are welcoming a rematch against the Blues, especially as it means they get to dodge Premier League chasers Liverpool and Manchester City – both of whom they view as the far superior footballing sides.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have been drawn against Benfica with Pep Guardiola’s Citizens scheduled to face Atletico Madrid.