For the second season in a row, Chelsea and Real Madrid will clash in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage. Much has changed over the past year for both powerhouse European clubs, and for manager Thomas Tuchel, he is ready for the challenge that awaits his Chelsea side in the quarterfinals of the competition.

“Tough one,” Tuchel said during a pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's FA Cup fixture against Middlesbrough. “The challenge cannot be much higher than playing the second leg in Bernabeu with spectators. It's a big challenge, but it's also a big excitement around this match, around this fixture.

“So we know what's coming and it will be an exciting match and a tough challenge.”

Chelsea took care of business against Real Madrid last season in the Champions League semifinals, as it then went on to clinch its second trophy win in this competition following its victory over Manchester City in the final.

This time around, Tuchel will meet a Real Madrid side managed by longtime Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti. The German manager faced off against Ancelotti multiple times during their respective managerial runs at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. More so, Tuchel guided Paris Saint-Germain to a pair of draw results against the Ancelotti-led Napoli over the 2018-2019 Champions League group stage.

The opening leg of this tie between Chelsea and Real Madrid will come on April 6, which will then be followed up by the return leg from the Santiago Bernabeu a week later.