We take on the current Champions League holders in the last eight of the competition, with the first match away in the Spanish capital at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Frank Lampard is well aware of just what a big match awaits his Chelsea side as we prepare to face Real Madrid in front of their fans at one of the famous stadiums in world football, but feels the pressure will be huge for any team at this stage of the Champions League regardless of the venue or the opponent.

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‘For our players, some young players that we’ve got in the squad, we’ve got some trophy winners in the squad too, but the Champions League quarter-finals is always going to be a big occasion and we have to play to the occasion, because levels go up at this stage of the competition,’ said Lampard. ‘We have to come here with a belief that we can perform under that pressure.

‘There’s pressure on both teams because of the size of both clubs and I think when you get to this stage, whatever the reason is, there will be pressure. Real Madrid are favourites and I understand why because of the difficulties of our season.

‘There’s no better carrot in football than trying to prove people wrong. Being an underdog and getting the result is one of the best things in football, I’ve been part of that, on both sides. That’s a nice challenge for us, I’m not worried about that in terms of the pressure. Football at this level is pressure.’

This is the third season in a row that we have met Real Madrid in the Champions League, progressing past them in 2020/21 en route to lifting the trophy in Porto, before being eliminated last time around as the Spaniards claimed the title in 2022.

However, Lampard is not paying much attention to what has gone before, knowing the only thing that will decide this tie is what happens on the pitch at the Bernabeu and then at Stamford Bridge in the second leg.

‘Every new year in football brings a new story. The year before last Chelsea came here and were successful in the Champions League in the knock-out stage. Last year was an incredible game that changed in the last moments.

‘One thing I will say having watched Real Madrid and having a relationship with Carlo Ancelotti, who’s been incredible in his time here, the players have to understand this is a special arena and a special football club and anything can happen, some things you can’t control. So we have to control what we can control with what we have now, understand the quality of the players in the Real Madrid team because there’s lots of quality throughout their team.

‘I think we have to understand the strengths of the Real Madrid team, in terms of their qualities in possession and their individual talent. We have to be very disciplined in our game off the ball against Real Madrid. Understand the threats because there are some very clear threats in their team.

‘We have to be defensively good against that but we also have to show our own strengths in our own game and the players will be aware of how we want to approach the game. We have to have belief, we have to follow the idea because in a high-level game the biggest thing can sometimes be the mentality and following through with what the idea is under pressure. At this level we have to be spot on, to take it back to Stamford Bridge next week in front of our home supporters.'