Antonio Rudiger thinks Chelsea's current squad is not the same as the one he played for before the clash with Real Madrid.
Chelsea travel to Real on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. This is the third year in a row the two clubs have met in the tournament.
The Blues won the semi-finals in 2021, beating Manchester City in the final under Thomas Tuchel, before Los Blancos triumphed in the quarter-finals last year en route to their 14th European Championship.
On both occasions, Rudiger started for the English side but now plays for the Spanish giants after moving from Stamford Bridge to the Santiago Bernabeu last summer on a free form.
And although he's not been long gone, a lot has changed at Chelsea since the centre-back left with a new boss, new behind-the-scenes staff, many expensive new players and more recently. especially a new coach in the form of Frank Lampard. The club legend and former head coach returned to west London last week as caretaker manager until the end of the season after Graham Potter was sacked less than seven months after being replaced. Tuchel was fired.
Rudiger is wary of changes and despite admitting that his former side are now almost unrecognizable to him, he remains very cautious about his chances of winning the draw.
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Frank Lampard may have played in Real Madrid's famous white shirt but has no regrets choosing to turn them down.
The Chelsea legend will be in the Blues squad at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday as the west London side look to take the lead in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Lampard is a Chelsea legend but could have ended up in Madrid
Lampard is a Chelsea legend but could have ended up in Madrid
The former midfielder now hopes to lead Chelsea to glory at the Bernabeu
The former midfielder now hopes to lead Chelsea to glory at the Bernabeu
However, he may have been more familiar with the Los Blancos pitch if he had followed the Spanish giants during his early stint at Chelsea.
The 44-year-old spent 13 years at Stamford Bridge, where he won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League, among many others, making him a true legend. of Chelsea.
But while acknowledging interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs, in 2017 Lampard revealed exactly why he decided to stay at Chelsea. He told Sky Sports:
"There were times earlier in my career when they did, but I don't look back and I don't regret not going, but it was certainly exciting," Lampard told the programme.
"At that time, the big Spanish clubs were involved - Barcelona, ??Real Madrid, Inter Milan under Jose [Mourinho]. Never:
"I'm ready to sign now," but there have been rumors and discussions behind the scenes.
"But I'm glad I didn't accept any of that because looking back on my career, especially at Chelsea, I missed out on a lot.
Frank Lampard refuses to rule out a move to Derby for his former Chelsea team-mate John Terry
Lampard's name is firmly written in the history books of Chelsea thanks to his loyalty
"I'm happy to have this in my pocket and say I have real loyalty and affection for a particular club and that I've achieved a lot there. "You cannot buy it and once you have it you will never lose it. It will be with you and Chelsea is the club that I feel very close to at the moment."
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