Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has backed Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard to do well at the club.
The Italian tactician who managed the Englishman while both at Chelsea between 2009 and 2011 made these comments while addressing the media on Tuesday morning ahead of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final showdown between Madrid and Chelsea at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
“Lampard has been a great player who I coached for two years. He knows this type of game well and how to prepare his team. It has taken him a week to adjust but he’s going to do well as long as he’s at Chelsea.” Ancelotti said.
Lampard was appointed as Chelsea’s interim manager until the end of the season last week following the sacking of Garry Potter.
The 44-year-old first managerial stint at his beloved club happened between 2019 and 2021 on a fulltime basis, but despite receiving the boot on January 2021, he was appointed caretaker manager to save the sinking ship that is Chelsea.
Lampard lost his first game back at the Chelsea dugout, and it came in form of a 1-0 loss to Wolves over the weekend courtesy of Matheus Nunez’s wonderful strike. He has a huge task of guiding Chelsea past the record Champions League winners and holders Real Madrid
This fixture is a repeat of last season’s. Chelsea then managed by Thomas Tuchel met Madrid in the last eight last term, and the Los Blancos prevailed 5-4 after two thrilling games. Ancelotti’s men won the first leg 3-1 while Chelsea took the second leg 3-2, but the Spanish giants progressed to the semifinals on a 5-4 aggregates.
To reach this stage, Chelsea, then under Potter overcame a first leg deficit to eliminate Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate while Madrid oozed past Liverpool 6-2.
