Chelsea have placed their hopes of beating Real Madrid in caretaker manager Frank Lampard, who will attempt to save the season with an unlikely run to Champions League glory.
The quarter-final begins at the Bernabeu Stadium tomorrow and the competition is a final chance to both win silverware and qualify for next season's Champions League.
The Boehly-Clearlake regime has got off to a terrible start, with the club 11th in the Premier League, unable to qualify for Europe's elite competition and only earn an estimated £100million in revenue by winning it this season.
The record 14-time winners and the competition's most successful manager Carlo Ancelotti are formidable opponents, but Chelsea have reasons for some optimism.
The great Kante gamble
N'Golo Kante was rested ahead of the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday for these win-or-bust matches, Lampard telling reporters: "There are no worries with N'Golo. We're fine with him, we're managing him through."
Lampard will know that Kante won man-of-the-match both home and away during the semi-finals in 2021, before winning the individual accolade again in the final that year. It secures him a place in Chelsea folklore and he again excelled last season, albeit after making a mistake in the build-up to Rodrygo's crucial goal in the second leg.
There will also be some concern about how long he can last after more than seven months out injured, but the midfielder played 69 minutes against Liverpool last week. He looked like he had not been away in his comeback match and was a perfect partner for Enzo Fernandez, who excels at passing and creating from deep but is not brilliant defensively.
Chelsea believe in Kante's fitness and quality and are on the verge of giving him a new two-year contract, with an option for an extra season. His body and mind should be ready to breathe new life into the club's ailing season.
Chelsea's physicality
Chelsea have played four matches and an extra-time against Madrid over the past two seasons and have dominated with their physical superiority. They overran aging Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro in all four of the recent skirmishes.
A smart pressing approach under Thomas Tuchel created turnovers in dangerous areas, leading to goals. It is an approach that Lampard will, no doubt, try to emulate.
Aurelien Tchouameni or Federico Valverde have stepped into midfield to replace Casemiro — now at Manchester United — and drive the average age down. For all their technical gifts, Modric, 37, Kroos, 33, and even striker Karim Benzema, 35, could be overrun by Chelsea, who have youth on their side.
Real's full-back weakness
Madrid have lost star left-sided defender Ferland Mendy to a thigh injury for both legs. Eduardo Camavinga is expected to deputise and, although he has done well there in the past, he is naturally a central midfielder. Nacho Fernandez is the alternative, but is predominantly a central defender.
On the other flank, Dani Carvajal's powers are waning and everyone at Madrid knows it. Los Blancos are targeting a replacement for the 31-year-old and are assessing their options, having sounded out Reece James before he renewed his contract last September.
The likes of Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic could find joy down the flanks.
Lampard knows Ancelotti better than anyone
Vinicius Junior, Benzema and Modric are obvious threats, but Ancelotti also ranks as a 'galactico' in this competition, with a record four wins in five finals.
Lampard, however, comes up against a friend and foe he knows well. He began his association with Ancelotti by getting a career-best 29 goals under him in 2009-10.
Lampard cites Ancelotti as one of his biggest influences and shared messages with him when he lost his job at Chelsea in 2021. He then took over from Ancelotti at Everton. Few have more knowledge about Ancelotti and his teams than Lampard, and it might be an edge in these crucial matches.
