Real Madrid star Antonio Rudiger reacts to Chelsea’s draw in the UEFA Champions League

real madrid Star Antonio Rudiger is thrilled to face his ‘old friends’ when current team takes over for former team Chelsea in the champions league once again.

For the third year in a row, the European giants are drawn against each other in competition. They met for the first time in the semi-finals of the 2020-21 season, where Chelsea won 3-1 on aggregate to win the competition.

The following year, Real Madrid got their revenge by knocking out the holders in the quarter-finals, winning 5-4 on aggregate. Rudiger has appeared in all four of his matches for the Blues and last year scored a goal at Santiago’s Bernabéu.

He changed teams last summer but is enjoying the prospect of playing against Chelsea. The German tweeted (via Metro):

“This is very special and I can’t wait to see many of my friends again.”

Rudiger spent five years at Chelsea, making 203 appearances, including 133 in the Premier League, winning five titles and establishing himself as a club legend. But he won’t be the only former Blues player to face his old team next month, as Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are also in the group.

Courtois joined Real Madrid from Chelsea in 2018, followed by Hazard a year later. Both have played for the Blues in the last two games against Madrid.

Real Madrid will host Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-finals on 12 April, with the second leg six days later at Stamford Bridge. The winner will face Manchester City or Bayern Munich and advance to the final.

Real Madrid-Chelsea from rarity to annual celebration

Until April 2021, Madrid and Chelsea regularly participated in the Champions League, but never faced each other.

So when we met for the first time in the quarter-finals of the tournament two years ago, there was an air of excitement. In 2022, the two teams met again, ending in a 2-1 draw. And now, for the third year in a row, the European giant locks horns.