Carlo Ancelotti praised the "spectacular" attitude of his Real Madrid side in a 2-0 LaLiga win at Cadiz.

Los Blancos dominated the game at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla on Saturday, registering more shots than any other team in a LaLiga match this season, with 35 attempts.

Madrid had to wait until Nacho's brilliant finish after 72 minutes to take the lead and Marco Asensio gave them breathing space four minutes later.

Vinicius Junior and Toni Kroos were not risked by Ancelotti ahead of Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at Chelsea due to muscle strains, while Luka Modric and Eduardo Camavinga came off the bench.

Dani Carvajal and David Alaba were unused substitutes as Madrid prepared for the game at Stamford Bridge, which they will start with a 2-0 aggregate lead, by cutting Barcelona's lead at the top of the table to 10 points.

Madrid head coach Ancelotti said: "The biggest impression for me is how the team played. It was a match well played, at an important point of the season.

"It wasn't easy preparing for it, but the players' attitude was spectacular."

Captain Karim Benzema failed to score despite having nine shots, hitting the crossbar from close range in the first half, but Ancelotti was impressed with the striker's contribution.

He said: "I saw him look so well, so fresh. I told him, 'I'll put you in [the team] and I'll take you off when you get tired'.

"I was a little sad because he didn't score, but it was a pleasure to see him. It was difficult to remove him because I wanted to enjoy watching him."

Ancelotti confirmed forward Vinicius and midfielder Kroos will be fit to face Chelsea in London.

He said: "They are here to play, they have already trained today and they will be at their best for Tuesday."

Two goals in the space of four minutes from Nacho and Marco Asensio secured a 2-0 LaLiga win for Real Madrid at Cadiz on Saturday.

Los Blancos dominated the game at Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla but were wasteful until Nacho opened the scoring with his first goal of the season after 72 minutes.

Asensio added a second soon after as Carlo Ancelotti's side moved 10 points behind leaders Barcelona at the expense of relegation-threatened Cadiz.

Ancelotti omitted Vinicius Junior and Toni Kroos ahead of the Champions League clash at Chelsea on Tuesday, while Luka Modric came off the bench late in an ultimately comfortable win.

Madrid started strongly but they were almost behind against the run of play when Cadiz captain Alfonso Espino let fly with a left-foot strike that rattled the far post.

Asensio and Karim Benzema were denied by alert Cadiz goalkeeper David Gil, although Los Blancos wanted a penalty for a tug on their captain before he got his shot away.

A left-foot shot from Benzema bounced down to safety off the crossbar after Rodrygo burst into the box from the left and Dani Ceballos' volley from a corner was palmed over by Gil as Madrid failed to find a first-half breakthrough.

Rodrygo was unable to beat Gil after racing clear early in the second half before the forward inexplicably side-footed wide from six yards out when Federico Valverde presented him with an open goal.

Madrid continued to dominate and Valverde wasted a glorious chance to break the deadlock after Asensio showed great awareness and quality to pick him out with a quickly taken corner.

With Madrid's frustration mounting, Nacho produced a quality right-foot finish from 20 yards out to finally open the scoring.

Asensio then cut in from the left to finish off with a slick move with a composed finish, sealing a deserved win.

Carlo Ancelotti has declared that he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid at the end of the season.

Ancelotti has enjoyed a glorious second spell as Los Blancos head coach after returning to the club in July 2021, winning the Champions League and LaLiga last season.

The wily Italian has also masterminded Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup glory, with Madrid in the hunt to lift the Champions League trophy once again this season and the Copa del Rey.

Barcelona are 13 points clear of Madrid at the top of La Liga, so it appears to be only a matter of time before the reigning champions are dethroned.

Ancelotti has just over a year remaining on his contract and the 63-year-old has been linked with the Brazil job, but he has no plans to bring his tenure in the Spanish capital to an end.

He told reporters on Friday: "I feel proud of everything, it [his second spell with Madrid] has been a success so far. I hope to continue, but I am proud of what I have achieved.

"I think [Madrid president Florentino] Perez supports me. The president is always very affectionate with me, we will be here next season without a doubt, I will respect the contract."

Ancelotti has come in for criticism from certain quarters this season and has taken it on the chin.

He added: "This is football, we've had success in some competitions, but you have to wait to judge. I listen to criticism, it's normal. We have to live in a world where you have to listen to the people, the club, the players.

"Some criticisms are understandable, others are not and what you can understand helps to improve."

Carlo Ancelotti would not swap Vinicius Junior for Erling Haaland, with the two looking likely to come up against one another in the Champions League semi-finals.

Both Manchester City and Real Madrid comfortably won their quarter-final first legs against Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively, with star players Haaland and Vinicius shining again.

Haaland has scored an incredible 45 goals for City this season, while Vinicius has 21 goals and 14 assists in 45 appearances for Madrid.

While a prominent goal threat, Vinicius leads the way for Madrid in chances created (89) and expected assists (10.68), and only Eduardo Camavinga has made more appearances than the winger for Los Blancos this term.

Asked at a press conference ahead of Madrid's LaLiga trip to Cadiz if he would trade the Brazilian for the Norwegian, Ancelotti said: "No, what a question! 

"Each one has his own. Madrid takes advantage of Vinicius and [City manager Pep] Guardiola from Haaland."

Ancelotti confirmed he will be without Vinicius as well as Toni Kroos for Saturday's game at Cadiz, with both having adductor strains, but insisted it is merely a precaution.

Former Milan, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain boss Ancelotti also queried the notion that English clubs are often considered favourites for the Champions League, such as City this season.

Ancelotti masterminded wins over Chelsea, City and Liverpool last season on the way to becoming the first coach to win the Champions League on four occasions.

Madrid knocked out Liverpool this season and are 2-0 up against Chelsea after the first leg of their quarter-final.

"I'm not bothered, because the truth is that English football has teams that compete very well," he said. "It doesn't surprise me that the English are favourites, although Spanish football took two teams to the semi-finals last year, this year Italy has three in the quarter-finals. 

"The English think they have the strongest league, but outside there are other championships that continue to compete with less money, such as Spain and Italy."

Madrid were beaten 3-2 at home by Villarreal in their last league outing, now sitting 13 points behind leaders Barcelona with 10 games remaining.

Ancelotti insists his team will continue to give their all in LaLiga though, suggesting a club of Madrid's stature could not do less.

"We have to respect the competition and if we can't get to the first position, we have to be second," he said. 

"We wear a shirt that demands fighting until the end."

Joao Cancelo has spent the second half of this season on loan at Bayern Munich, having fallen out of starting XI favour at Manchester City.

The Portugal full-back had penned a contract extension with City in January last year, tying him down to 2027.

But Cancelo's time at Bayern has reportedly not convinced the Germans to pursue a permanent deal, creating uncertainty about his future.

TOP STORY – MADRID TO MAKE CANCELO BID

Real Madrid are interested in a move for Joao Cancelo and will submit a bid of around €60million (£52.8m) to Manchester City for his services, claims Fichajes.

The report claims Madrid are eager to improve their current first-choice full-backs Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal, hence the interest in the Portuguese.

Los Blancos like the versatility of Cancelo, who has made 13 appearances with only eight starts since joining Bayern in January.

ROUND-UP

– Florian Plettenberg claims Liverpool's shortlist for midfielders includes West Ham United's Declan Rice, Wolves' Matheus Nunes, Inter's Nicolo Barella and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo having dropped out of the race for Jude Bellingham.

– Barcelona are ready to ramp up their advances to sign Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan after being impressed by his midweek Champion League display against Bayern Munich, reports Sport.

– Bayern midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has interest from Premier League trio Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, reports Footmercato.

– Chris Smalling is set to pen a new two-year deal with Roma according to iSport, amid interest from Inter, Juventus and some Premier League clubs.

– Bild claims RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer will join Bayern on a four-year deal in the off-season. Laimer's Leipzig deal ends at the end of this season.

Thibaut Courtois acknowledged Real Madrid were left "bugged" by their inability to put Chelsea to the sword in their Champions League victory.

Los Blancos notched a 2-0 victory over the Blues in the first leg of their quarter-final clash at the Santiago Bernabeu, with goals for Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio.

Yet despite a man advantage for the final third of the game after Ben Chilwell was dismissed for a professional foul on Rodrygo, Madrid failed to make their pressure tell.

Speaking afterwards, former Chelsea goalkeeper Courtois voiced his frustration that his team were unable to inflict more damage ahead of next week's return leg.

"Every time you play a big knockout match, you're left with the sensation that you could have, should have, killed the tie off," he said, as quoted by UEFA.com.

"Chelsea nearly scored right, at the end. This is a good result, but we're bugged by the fact that we didn't score a third or even a fourth goal.

"I hope we don't regret not having added another when we play again next week."

Carlo Ancelotti's hosts were mostly dominant on home turf against Frank Lampard's Blues, who struggled to impose themselves upon the game for long periods.

Yet with Benzema, Luka Modric and Rodrygo among those to spurn chances across the game, Courtois' fear of a comeback in London may not be unfounded.

In his post-match comments to BT Sport, Lampard spoke about looking to channel the "special nights" he enjoyed at Stamford Bridge as a player for the second leg.

Madrid themselves are no stranger to a comeback too though, having defied several poor first-leg performances in last year's Champions League to eventually win the title.

Carlo Ancelotti was pleased with Real Madrid's commanding 2-0 win against Chelsea but stressed they must be ready to "fight and sacrifice" in the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Madrid look set to advance to the Champions League semi-finals for the third consecutive season after they breezed past Frank Lampard's out-of-form side at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio either side of a red card for Ben Chilwell rounded out a dominant performance from the reigning champions, who will travel to London for the return match next week.

The defeat leaves Chelsea without a goal in four games in all competitions, but Ancelotti remained steadfast that Los Blancos would need to work hard to finish the job in the second leg.

"I know football really well and my players understand that we have another 90 minutes to play, and it will be difficult, and we have to be ready," he told BT Sport.

"We won 2-0, we took advantage of this game, but it's not done yet. Chelsea is a good team with good players, and we have to fight and sacrifice at Stamford Bridge. This is absolutely normal – it's a quarter-final of the Champions League.

"We are satisfied with the game, it was a good game, and now we focus on the next."

Luka Modric's close miss and a squandered late chance from Benzema kept the score down after Chelsea were reduced to 10 men, but the Madrid boss did not feel his side had failed in not finding another goal before the final whistle.

He said: "When we were against 10 men, they put a low block, and it was not easy to find solutions.

"I think we spent a lot of energy in the game trying to press high, and so at the end, we were not so fresh to try to find another goal, but the result and the performance was good."

Wednesday's encounter saw Ancelotti go head-to-head with Lampard in the dugout, with the Madrid boss having coached his opposite number while himself Chelsea manager between 2009 and 2011.

"I have a good memory of him – a fantastic player," Ancelotti said when asked about Lampard. "I hope he will be a fantastic manager but not necessarily next Tuesday."

Vinicius Junior lauded Real Madrid's display against Chelsea on Wednesday as one of their best of the season as the Champions League holders earned a 2-0 first-leg advantage in the quarter-finals.

Madrid had eliminated Chelsea at this stage a year ago, albeit only by the finest of margins.

But this time they were heavy favourites against a side struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League, and the contrast between the two sides was illustrated on the pitch.

Chelsea did have their chances, with Thibaut Courtois making three saves, but opposite number Kepa Arrizabalaga was called into action on eight occasions as well as picking the ball out of his net twice.

Karim Benzema netted the opener when the Chelsea goalkeeper could only parry from Vinicius, whose pass teed up Marco Asensio for a 74th-minute second.

Vinicius was perhaps the star of the show, dominating his match-ups with Reece James and Wesley Fofana as he completed four of seven attempted dribbles and won eight of 13 contested duels.

But the Brazil winger was happy to reflect on a strong performance across the team, even if the tie is not quite yet over.

"We played very well indeed, pressing all the time just like we did at this stage last season," Vinicius said, as reported by UEFA.com. "This was one of our best performances of the season.

"But this is only half-time. There’s a lot left in this tie. We just need to keep calm heads."

Madrid, who played more than half an hour against 10 men after Ben Chilwell was sent off, could only have been frustrated the scoreline was not more one-sided.

"There were lots of spaces for us to push into, and obviously being Real Madrid, we always want to score more goals," Vinicius added.

"We know that an away game against Chelsea can be difficult. Now we just rest a bit and keep a clear head."

Madrid went three years without a Champions League triumph after Vinicius signed, but he is now eyeing up a second straight title as the competition's most successful club aim for their 15th.

"Any player who wears this shirt for Madrid knows how special the Champions League is," he said.

"Especially in the Bernabeu with this fanbase behind us, they light up for this competition.

"If you play for Madrid, you have to be driven by the hunger to play in and win the Champions League."

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard believes they can turn around their Champions League first-leg deficit to Real Madrid, vowing "special things can happen at Stamford Bridge".

The Blues suffered a 2-0 loss at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their quarter-final, and were reduced to 10 men after Ben Chilwell was sent off.

Goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio means it is Carlo Ancelotti's side who head to London for next week's return clash in the driving seat of the tie.

But Lampard is confident his team have what it takes to turn matters around, suggesting they need to rediscover their self-belief in their own quality.

"I'm proud of the 10 men," he told BT Sport. "I think with 10 men, they carved us open. There are some good things, but the result is the reality.

"I just said to the players [in the dressing room], special things can happen at Stamford Bridge. They're a very good team, but we have to believe."

"It's been a difficult period for them. There is a little bit of a lack of belief. I think they players have got to understand how good they are and what they can do.

"Maybe we're a little bit short on that [self-belief], Next week is going to be a fight. There are some mindsets [where] we have to be much more positive.

"I've been involved in those nights at Stamford Bridge. That's next week now, and I'm disappointed with the result, [but] we keep going."

Lampard famously scored in Chelsea's 4-1 second-leg victory against Napoli in the last-16 2012, en-route to lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time.

Safe to say Frank Lampard was the only Champions League coach required to give an earnest answer on the eve of this week's matches about the role a late-night US TV host might have had in his appointment.

But then Lampard was also the only Champions League coach expecting to watch along from home with James Corden and the rest as recently as a week ago.

If Thomas Tuchel's appointment at Bayern Munich between the last 16 and the quarter-finals came out of left field, he at least had history in this competition, replacing Lampard as Chelsea boss in 2020-21 and leading them to European glory.

Lampard won the Champions League as a player, of course, in another example of a successful mid-season Chelsea coaching change.

The parallels with that other season of struggle in 2011-12 have not been lost on Lampard. "He mentioned he was in his worst moment at Chelsea," said Enzo Fernandez. "It is a great example for us."

But that likely makes Lampard the only coach to look at Roberto Di Matteo's improbable title run 11 years ago as a blueprint for success moving forward.

In fact, Di Matteo led Chelsea to a top-six Premier League finish and an FA Cup triumph before winning the Champions League. Lampard's side are 11th and out of the domestic cups.

Hopes of a repeat of that greatest win of all are all but gone, too, after Real Madrid's 2-0 victory in the first leg of their last-eight tie.

Lampard's will surely be the only shock Chelsea comeback this season.

The Blues, still under Tuchel, did very nearly overturn a two-goal deficit against Madrid at this stage last season, leading 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu before late goals from Rodrygo and Karim Benzema took the eventual champions through.

That was the theme of Madrid's campaign, rarely playing well but having enough in the big moments. The concern for Chelsea is their hosts were again a little below par on Wednesday and this time did not need any of those big moments, deservedly defeating their toothless side.

Madrid scraped past Liverpool and Chelsea last season and are on course to knock out both again this year – with the minimum of fuss. Again getting the better of Manchester City in the next stage may well prove tougher.

Lampard appeared to look back to those famous nights under Di Matteo as he turned to experience for this first leg, making only two changes from the last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund but increasing the average age of the XI by two years in introducing Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante.

"We always want to develop players, we want young players, all these things," he explained to BT Sport. "But at a game of this high level, players like Thiago, N'Golo in the team are a huge lift for us."

That know-how still paled next to Madrid's, however. There were 821 Champions League appearances in the home XI – the second-most in competition history behind another Madrid line-up in the 2018 final.

It was fitting then that Benzema should net the opener in his 149th Champions League game, fifth on the all-time list and in the right place at the right time when Kepa Arrizabalaga could only parry an awkward effort from Vinicius Junior.

Lampard might well have taken a 1-0 defeat at that point. He certainly would have when half-time was reached with Madrid having aimed eight shots on target and then again when Ben Chilwell was sent off with over half an hour remaining.

The game briefly became reminiscent of the 2012 semi-final in Barcelona, where John Terry saw red but Chelsea somehow recovered a 2-2 draw through a combination of brave defending and clinical counter-attacking.

Yet Marco Asensio's second with 74 minutes played, steered through Wesley Fofana's legs, broke their resolve and might well have taken the tie away from Lampard.

This Chelsea team are anything but clinical. They have 41 goals in 41 games this season, going four without scoring – including in two matches under Lampard – for the first time since 1993. The Blues have only netted more than once, as they now must, in 14 of those games.

Failure to buck that trend against Champions League specialists Madrid will mean the end of Chelsea's season.

At that point, as Madrid move on and Lampard attempts to rescue a top-10 position in the Premier League, focus turns to where Todd Boehly goes next, perhaps to who Jimmy Kimmel fancies for the Stamford Bridge hotseat.

It has been another season to remember at Chelsea – for all the wrong reasons.

Real Madrid put one foot into the final four of the Champions League after a 2-0 win over 10-man Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final.

Karim Benzema's first-half tap-in put the holders in front at Santiago Bernabeu before Marco Asensio doubled their advantage with just over a quarter-hour to go.

A straight red card for Ben Chilwell after he tugged down Rodrygo in-between compounded a tough trip to Spain for Frank Lampard's men.

Former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti and his Los Blancos side will wish they had more to show, but will nevertheless head to Stamford Bridge with a healthy advantage for next week's return leg.

Thibaut Courtois denied Joao Felix on the break and Benzema forced a close-range stop from Kepa at the other end inside the first 15 minutes.

Benzema was in the place after 21 minutes, though, capitalising when Kepa parried Vinicius Junior's shot into his path.

Madrid had chances to extend the lead before the break with David Alaba's header almost squirming in five minutes before half-time.

Chelsea's hopes of a comeback after the break felt slim even before Kalidou Koulibaly was forced to hobble off, and Chilwell's dismissal only worsened matters.

Asensio then was on-point to cap another fine European performance from Madrid when he swept home a cut-back delivery in the 74th minute.

Benzema could and perhaps should have made it three in the final stages of injury time, only to push his looping header over the crossbar from nine yards out.

But the hosts are now well on course to extend their superb continental record, though Ancelotti will know more than most the battle is not over yet for his side.

Frank Lampard was able to recall Thiago Silva as the veteran defender returned from injury for Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final first leg at Real Madrid.

Chelsea are facing Madrid at this stage of the competition for the second consecutive season, having been agonisingly eliminated in extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu last year.

The Blues are at least boosted by the presence of Silva in the line-up for this latest trip to Madrid, however.

The 38-year-old has been out with a knee ligament injury since late February, missing the European win against Borussia Dortmund and a host of domestic matches that led to Graham Potter's dismissal.

Silva is back working under former boss Lampard, who also brought back N'Golo Kante after he was rested at Wolves on Saturday.

Kante's inclusion saw a change of shape as 2021 final hero Kai Havertz missed out as a difficult season continues, while Ben Chilwell was preferred to Marc Cucurella.

Madrid, like Chelsea, had shuffled their pack at the weekend with little left to play for in the league. They similarly lost to Villarreal.

But Carlo Ancelotti restored his XI from the prior 4-0 win at Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.

Karim Benzema, selected up front, has scored his past 10 Champions League goals in knockout games against English sides, with four of those coming against Chelsea last season.

He netted a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge before his extra-time goal took Madrid through.

Borussia Dortmund's England international midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to be the topic of widespread speculation in the next transfer window.

Several top clubs are circling to sign the 19-year-old, with Dortmund slapping a staggering £130million transfer fee on him as their asking price.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with Bellingham, who is contracted to the German side until 2025.

TOP STORY – REDS PULL OUT OF BELLINGHAM RACE

Liverpool have withdrawn from the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to The Athletic.

The Reds had previously made him their number one priority signing but have now opted out of the race given the price tag and impact that would have on their off-season transfer budget.

Football.London claims Liverpool will instead turn their attention to Chelsea's Mason Mount as a priority midfield target.

Other potential targets mentioned by The Athletic are Brighton and Hove Albion pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister along with Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch.

ROUND-UP

– Real Madrid are pondering a free transfer move for Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, according to El Nacional. The Brazilian will depart Anfield when his contract expires at the end of this season.

– Marca claims Madrid are also interested in Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze, who netted twice against Los Blancos on Saturday. The Nigerian is contracted until 2024 and has a €100m buyout clause on the deal, although Villarreal may reportedly be willing to accept around half of that at the end of this term.

– Bayern Munich have come into the picture to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen with the German champions weighing up a bid for the Nigerian, reports Sky Germany.

– Football Insider reports Brighton and Hove Albion are willing to accept a £80m bid from Manchester United for midfielder Caicedo, who penned a new long-term deal until 2027 in March following January interest from Arsenal.

– AS claims Chelsea have held talks with Barcelona midfielder Gavi's agent to discuss a potential free transfer to the Blues in the off-season.

Carlo Ancelotti is keen for his Real Madrid side to meet Milan in the Champions League final in Istanbul.

Los Blancos face Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition, while Milan are building up for an all-Italian affair against Napoli.

Madrid will be favourites against Chelsea due to the poor season being endured by the Premier League side.

For Milan, the situation is different as Napoli have blown away their rivals in Serie A this season, but they will have the backing of Ancelotti.

Asked what he said to Paolo Maldini in a recent call with the former defender, Ancelotti told Rai Radio 1: "It was above all a wish for Milan, of which I am a fan.

"In reality, Milan-Napoli will be a very balanced and very uncertain match.

"Would it be nice to meet in Istanbul? For Madrid, yes, I think also for Milan, but everyone wants to get to Istanbul."

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the first leg of the quarter-final tie against Chelsea, Ancelotti again outlined a desire to meet Maldini in the final – particularly with the host city not holding fond memories for the pair, who lost in Istanbul against Liverpool in the 2005 final.

"Paolo and Istanbul is not a pretty memory especially in 2005," Ancelotti added. "I have all the love in the world for Maldini, he has been my captain and my partner and if we can see each other on my birthday [the day of the final] it will be very good".

For Milan, the tie against Napoli is a chance to build upon their recent thrashing of the runaway Serie A leaders in a game that is certain to be an emotional one.

Because of this, Ancelotti explained that motivational speeches are not required ahead of the game and pre-match discussions should be purely tactical.

"In these types of games the players are going to feel the pressure, they are going to be very motivated, so you don't have to make motivational speeches," he explained.

"The speech that is going to be made is linked to the strategy of the game, trying to give clear and simple indications to the players, so that they feel involved: it is also a way to take a little off the pressure that these games inevitably put on you."

Carlo Ancelotti is saddened by Chelsea's struggles this season but expects his former side to bounce back under Frank Lampard.

The Real Madrid head coach faces off against the Blues in the Champions League quarter-finals, the first leg taking place at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.

While domestic form has not been the best for Madrid, heading into the tie on the back of a 3-2 reverse against Villarreal at the weekend, their form in Europe in recent years has been devastating.

Los Blancos have won the Champions League in five of the last nine seasons, the most recent of which was last year, and boast vast experience.

However, Ancelotti does not believe that will have an impact in the two legs against Chelsea, where he expects the Blues to provide a stern test.

"I'm sad. I have great memories of my time at the club. I spent two very good years there," he said at a press conference when asked about Chelsea's poor season.

"I don't think my experience will change what's going to happen tomorrow. Lampard has been a great player that I coached for two years.

"He knows this type of game well and how to prepare his team. It's been a week, but he's going to do well in the time he's at Chelsea.

"We had a really bad time here [last year] and we have to respect Chelsea. They are not going through a good moment, but they have a very good team.

"Sometimes when you're worse, you bring out the best."

Madrid faced Chelsea at the same stage last year, losing 3-2 at home in the second leg but progressing as 5-4 aggregate victors, while the semi-final against Manchester City was similarly dramatic.

Playing the first game of home this time around allows Madrid to potentially build a lead to defend at Stamford Bridge in the second leg, which Ancelotti highlighted.

"We have to think it's a 180-minute game and try to do well tomorrow. It's not decisive, but we can help manage the second leg better," he added.

"We are looking forward to returning to the Champions League and living a magical night at the Bernabeu.

"We have to take advantage of the fact that we play the first game. I think we played well at home and away last year, we did well in every game and deserved to win the title.

"We had to come back, and we had more energy in the finals. We deserved to win the Champions League last year and we will try to deserve this one if we play better than others.

"They were difficult moments against Chelsea and City but we didn't give up the games and ended up winning the title."