CHELSEA interim manager Frank Lampard revealed he only played once at Real Madrid’s legendary Santiago Bernabeu Stadium during his celebrated 21-year career.
And Lampard admitted it was not a performance to remember as he didn’t “get a kick” during an international match between Spain and England.
Frank Lampard will lead Chelsea against Real Madrid in the Champions League
Chelsea caretaker boss Frank Lampard admitted he only played once at the Santiago Bernabeu
However, the 44-year-old tactician insists his players will have to do better than he did back in the day ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final.
Lampard said: “I only played once in my career [during] England-Spain and we lost 2-0.
“I don’t think I got a kick, Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta were in their heyday.
“But I absolutely remember the size of the stadium, we’ve got some young players but also we have some players that have achieved a lot.
“Champions League winners, World Cup winners and these things, so I don’t think it’s something completely new to them.
“But of course it’s that stadium and a quarter-final is an occasion and we have to play the occasion because levels go up at this point in the competition.
“But we have to come with the belief that we can perform under that pressure.”
Lampard will be without Mason Mount, Thiago Silva and captain Cesar Azpilicueta against Real.
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N’Golo Kante was surprisingly missing from the caretaker boss’ first squad after coming back from injury the week before.
But it was later revealed that Kante was left out due to a precautionary decision.
Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana are not in the Chelsea‘s Champions League squad.
