Ancelotti’s Madrid make no mistakes in the quarterfinals

Real Madrid have always made it past the quarterfinals of the Champions League when Carlo Ancelotti was their coach. In the three precedents that exist under the command of the Italian coach, the Whites have always reached the semifinals of the leading continental competition.

On the threshold of the second leg of the quarterfinals against Chelsea, Madrid can rest easy if they stick to the statistics. Last year he defeated the blue team in a tachycardic tie that was resolved in extra time at the Santiago Bernabéu and this Tuesday he had everything in his favor to produce a 2-0 yield at Chamartin last week in a complete performance crowned by goals from Benzema and Asensio.

Reggiolo’s coach and the white club form an almost infallible tandem in the Champions League. The only team capable of defeating this duo is Juve, who eliminated Madrid in the 2015 semifinals, leaving them at the gates of the Berlin final of the season after winning the Décima in Lisbon.

Madrid and Ancelotti’s common history this time of the Champions League began in 2014, when the white team eliminated Borussia Dortmund (3-0 in the first leg, 2-0 in the second leg) before facing Guardiola’s Bayern, who left in the gutter with that historic 0-4 at the Allianz.

The following season, 2014/2015, Madrid eliminated Schalke 04 in the round of 16 and Atlético de Madrid in the quarterfinals, their rivals from the previous year in the Lisbon final. That cross was resolved with a solo goal from Chicharito in the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Dortmund, Atlético de Madrid, Chelsea and, now, again, Chelsea. Ancelotti’s Madrid have it in their power to continue to raise their statistics in the Champions League. So far, the only one capable of beating him is Juventus eight years ago.