‘This will be very special’: Antonio Rudiger simply cannot hide his delight just after Genuine Madrid were drawn towards his previous club Chelsea in the Champions League marking the German’s 1st return to Stamford Bridge given that summer months departure
Antonio Rudiger is thrilled about the prospect of lining up from his previous Chelsea colleagues in the Champions League subsequent month.
The centre-back created more than 130 appearances for the Blues between 2017 and 2022, right before joining Genuine Madrid as a absolutely free agent final summer time.
But the Champions League quarter-closing draw has paired his new club with his outdated just one, and they will facial area just about every other yet again – like they have carried out in the earlier two seasons.
Rudiger was component of the Chelsea team that were removed at this stage in 2022, but the Blues acquired the much better of the Spanish giants in the 2021 semi-finals on route to lifting the trophy in the remaining.
Now element of the True Madrid established-up, the 30-12 months-outdated tweeted about his happiness at observing aged faces quickly.
Toni Rudiger will come up versus his former Chelsea facet immediately after joining True Madrid final calendar year
Rudiger tweeted: ‘This will be really distinctive – Can’t wait to see so numerous good friends yet again.’
Rudiger is not the only former Chelsea facial area in the True Madrid ranks, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and forward Eden Hazard also in the squad going again to London.
In the meantime, Mateo Kovacic will practical experience the reverse, as the Croatian returns to his former club nonetheless once more, having joined Chelsea from Authentic Madrid in 2019.
The winner of the Authentic Madrid-Chelsea tie will not get an quick trip in the semi-finals possibly, dealing with either Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich or Leading League opposition in the kind of Manchester City.
Actual Madrid are preparing for El Clasico on Sunday ahead of the worldwide crack, even though Chelsea host Everton on Saturday night.
Mateo Kovacic will arrive up in opposition to his previous club still once more soon after relocating to Chelsea in 2019
Graham Potter will have his first practical experience in opposition to Serious Madrid in the dugout next thirty day period
A single guy who will be squaring up to Authentic Madrid for the very first time is Blues supervisor Graham Potter, who will be opposite Carlo Ancelotti in the dugout, after telling a supporter function that Chelsea would have to win the ‘f***ing Champions League’.
When questioned about the draw in Friday’s push conference, Potter said: ‘Well, I said we might check out and ‘blank’ win the Champions League, and I am confident which is the exact same for the other seven clubs as properly.
‘And all the other clubs would also say you could eliminate in the quarter-final, mainly because that is the character of the Champions League.
‘We’ll concentration on True Madrid when we get there, but at the second it is Everton.’
