Frank Lampard agrees with a Chelsea star before facing Real Madrid as the Blues aim for an incredible comeback.
Chelsea had lost the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid 2-0 at the Bernabeu. They are now looking to complete a comeback.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga previously stated that Real Madrid could completely understand Chelsea’s will to perform a miracle at Stamford Bridge.
He said in the pre-match conference, “Remontadas can happen. Literally – comebacks can happen.”
“I don’t know about lacking confidence. Maybe we are not in our best shape. It is not a good season for us. What we have to do is believe until the end. This stadium… ‘remontadas’ can happen. It happened before.”
He also highlighted how they need to have a great performance to achieve this feat. “We have to deliver. Do our best and do the right things, we need a big performance. Not the biggest performance of our lives maybe, but a big performance. “
What did Frank Lampard say?
Manager Frank Lampard also agreed with his goalkeeper’s statements before the pre-match conference. He drew parallels with the Chelsea squad that almost completed a comeback against Real Madrid last season. He said,
“I think anything is possible in football. There is no doubt that we are competitive and we deserve to be here. The opponent is a really high-level. I’ve been here too many times at Stamford Bridge for a midweek Champions League knockout game to understand the atmosphere will be great.”
“I’ve studied both games from last year. I don’t always bother but there are parallels in terms of the personnel who were playing through the team. I know they have the capacity to really give this a good go and we must get our game right and be better than we were last week.”
Last year, Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in the Bernabeu before Real Madrid defeated them 3-1 in London. They had a 3-0 lead before a late goal forced extra time, and Karim Benzema ended with a 5-4 victory overall in the 96th minute.
What next for Chelsea?
Chelsea is on a six-match winless streak and is down 2-0 after the opening match at the Santiago Bernabeu. Interim manager Lampard has lost his first three matches in charge.
Chelsea only has a realistic chance of making it into the elite tournament next season if they win the Champions League, despite being 17 points behind the top four in the Premier League and spending more than £530 million on players. Previous manager Graham Potter was fired summing up their season.
Currently, Chelsea has appointed former player and coach Frank Lampard as caretaker manager until the end of the season. They are now contemplating appointing either Nagelsmann or Enrique in the summer as the permanent manager.
Chelsea needs three goals to advance, or two to force penalties against Real Madrid. They face each other in the second leg at Stamford Bridge tonight.
