Thomas Tuchel has done a pretty sparkling job as Chelsea manager so far, wouldn't you say?
A Premier League resurgence has been accompanied by the Blues reaching the FA Cup final and the last four of the Champions League, where they face the might of Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid.
And although it's a tough one to call, we wouldn't recommend predicting the outcome based on the two sides' head-to-head record: Chelsea and Real have faced each other just three times in competitive action, and never in the Champions League. The good news, though, is that Chelsea have never lost to Los Blancos!
So, let's take a look at the head-to-head record...
1. Real Madrid 1-1 Chelsea - May 1971
Neither side's current managers had been born the first time Chelsea and Real Madrid met.
The two clubs faced each other on 19 May 1971 in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup. Chelsea felt confident of victory against an ageing Real Madrid squad, and were boosted in the 57th minute as Peter Osgood put his side 1-0 in front.
Chelsea spirits were crushed, however, in the final minute of the 90 as Ignacio Zoco pounced on a defensive mistake to equalise and take the game to extra-time.
The tie finished 1-1 and, before the days of penalty shootouts, it was forced into a replay.
2. Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid - May 1971
No hearts were broken just two days later, though.
Goals from Osgood and John Dempsey (who atoned for his mistake that gifted Real an equaliser in the original final) were enough to take home the Cup Winners' Cup trophy, despite Sebastian Fleitas' strike for Real.
3. Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea - August 1998
The most recent encounter between the two sides came 23 years ago, in the European curtain-raiser.
Real Madrid had just won the Champions League and Chelsea had found UEFA Cup Winners' Cup success once more.
Guus Hiddink's Los Blancos side couldn't find a way past Gianluca Vialli's Blues, as a sweet Gus Poyet strike (skip to 2:28 in the above video to see it) ten minutes from time stole the victory, allowing skipper Denis Wise to lift Chelsea's third trophy of 1998.
What a year...
Source : 90min