Chelsea will be hoping for a miracle when they welcome Real Madrid for the second leg tie in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Chelsea suffered a 2-0 defeat away at Real Madrid in the first leg. And they were lucky it wasn’t more.
They have endured a miserable season and an equally torrid time under caretaker manager Frank Lampard.
There’s little reason to believe they can progress despite their good history in the competition.
The Blues have progressed from five of their last seven Champions League ties when losing the first leg away from home, and done so in each of the last two when losing by two clear goals (vs Napoli in 2011-12 and Paris Saint-Germain in 2013-14).
Madrid have progressed from 18 of their 19 Uefa Champions League ties after winning the first leg by two or more goals, failing only in 2003-04 against Monaco in the quarterfinal (4-2 first leg, 1-3 second leg, eliminated on away goals rule).
Despite their struggles, former Chelsea boss Ancelotti believes the Blues will still be determined to prove a point by stunning Real in the second leg.
“Chelsea has a difficult moment. I’m thinking the game tomorrow can be a great opportunity for them to move from this situation,” Ancelotti told reporters on Monday.
“We’re aware of this, we take it into consideration. We will try to play at our best.
“We’re good. We’re motivated as always. These are all important games. We have to have a very complete game.
“Ninety minutes remain and in this type of competition anything can happen. We’ll be ready to play at our best.”
Madrid’s record in two-legged knockout ties against English clubs is W12 L6.
This season’s win against Liverpool made it seven aggregate victories in the last nine, although their last two UEFA Champions League eliminations have both been by Premier League opponents – Chelsea in the 2020/21 semi-finals and Manchester City in the 2019/20 round of 16.