“Very special”- Real Madrid star gives verdict on facing former club Chelsea in UCL

Antonio Rudiger relishing a chance to face his former club Chelsea in the Champions League

Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger revealed his excitement about facing his former club Chelsea in the quarter-final of the Champions League through his Twitter post.

After going past Borussia Dortmund in the last-16, Chelsea are tasked to beat European champions Madrid if they are to reach the semi-final of this competition.

These two met at the same stage last season, where the Spanish side edged the Blues by a goal on aggregate. The season before, it was Chelsea who came out on top in the semi-final tie.

So, there is a lot of recent history between these two teams. Rudiger played for us in the last two ties. He will be donning the opposition jersey this time around. Here’s what he tweeted as a reaction to the draw.

We have missed the physical presence and passion of the German defender at times this season. But, it is better to not look at the past and focus on what is to come.

Real Madrid will always be a tough nut to crack in the Champions League. The 14-time winners are just too good when it comes to managing big games and playing the tie according to their plan.

Chelsea came very close to upsetting that plan last season though, only for Luka Modric to produce an assist for Rodrygo that will be remembered for ages.

It is good that Graham Potter has managed to turn things around in the last few games, including that big performance against Dortmund.

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Although Madrid will go into that tie as clear favourites, Chelsea have a history of upsetting the odds in the Champions League. With the second leg due to take place at Stamford Bridge, the onus will be on the Blues to finish off the tie in their favour.