Former Chelsea ace keen to avoid Stamford Bridge reunion in the Champions League

Thibaut Courtois does not want to play Chelsea in the Champions League quarter finals

Thibaut Courtois, a former Chelsea goalkeeper, said he doesn’t want to play against the Blues in the Champions League quarterfinal after Real Madrid advanced to the next round of competition by defeating Liverpool 6-2 on aggregate in the round of 16.

Regardless of their chances of winning the Champions League, Real Madrid have consistently been one of the toughest teams. The Belgian goalie has been outstanding since joining the team, making multiple saves to prevent Liverpool from mounting any comebacks.

And this time, the Los Blancos have been picked as favourites to win the competition. They will learn more about their quarterfinal opponent when the draw is finished on Friday at UEFA’s headquarters in Switzerland.

Chelsea, who had fallen behind Borussia Dortmund 1-0, stormed back to defeat them 2-0 in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16. Graham Potter’s team is now brimming with confidence since they have won three straight games following a poor showing.

Speaking to Sky Italia (h/t Express), Courtois stated he wants to face a different team and that his next opponent shouldn’t be the same as last year’s opponent. He added:

“I would like to change a bit.

“Last year we already faced City and Chelsea; let’s see if we play other teams this year. Last year, we made it clear what character we have in the team. With comebacks, we earn respect. We show that Real Madrid is always there.”

Even Chelsea would want to avoid Real Madrid since a matchup in the semifinals or final would be more exciting if both teams got that far in the league.

Real are a different team in the Champions League because of their winning mentality, which not many clubs have, as we saw when they faced Manchester City in the second leg last year.

Yet under Tuchel, we were the type of team that came close to winning the second leg on aggregate last year, but Real Madrid found a way to bounce back.

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However, Chelsea have a better head-to-head record against Real in Champions League, having won two games in the previous four matches. But now Blues are a different club under Potter, though, and players are now starting to connect with each other in the games, we hope the club goes far in the competition.