Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he hopes Carlo Ancelotti “makes it” to Stamford Bridge to take charge of Real Madrid for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Real boss Ancelotti did not travel to London with his team on Tuesday after continuing to test positive for Covid.
“It’s always much better and nicer to be there and have direct influence,” Tuchel said.
“I have the information he will try to arrive in the evening.”
Ancelotti, 62, missed Real’s 2-1 victory at Celta Vigo in La Liga last Saturday after Real confirmed that he had tested positive for coronavirus on 30 March.
However, the Italian, who also guided Chelsea to a Premier League and FA Cup double in 2010, is still hopeful of returning a negative test which would allow him to attend the game.
“I’m pretty sure he can do the team talks and be in touch with players. He’s a big, big coach, big personality, it would be nice to have him on the sideline in these kinds of games,” Tuchel added.
“It’s what we as coaches love the most, to be in the middle of the group, constantly communicate not only with words, but also with a smile, a hug. I hope he still makes it.”
Blues can remain ‘one of the best clubs in the world’
Meanwhile, Thibaut Courtois says that whoever takes control of Chelsea after Roman Abramovich will be buying “one of the best clubs in the world”.
The Belgium goalkeeper made more than 150 appearances for the Blues, winning two Premier League titles, before moving to Real Madrid in 2018.
“I think it’s been a hard month for the club and for the fans, but I think you can see that all the people that love Chelsea are really putting all their energy together,” said Courtois.
“The new owners must know what club they are buying. And hopefully they can keep that spirit that has always been here.
“In total I was part of Chelsea for seven years, and that was a big part of my career.
“I hope the new owners will understand what they are buying and that Chelsea can remain as one of the best clubs in the world.”
Jorginho, Reece James and Mateo Kovacic could all return to Tuchel’s starting XI for a repeat of last term’s semi-final, having been on the bench for their shock 4-1 defeat at home to Brentford in the Premier League at the weekend.
Former Blues forward Eden Hazard has not travelled with the Real squad after undergoing an operation to remove a metal plate in his right leg. Back-up forward Luka Jovic and Isco are also absent for Spain’s 13-time winners.
