Los Blancos have faced the Londoners more times without success than any other rival in their history, Chelsea triumphant in three of our five previous meetings in all competitions stretching back to the Cup Winners’ Cup final in 1971.

Similarly, Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel has faced Real more often without losing than any other coach in Champions League history (six played, two won, four drawn). Yet up to now no English club has ended Real’s campaign in the knockout stages of this competition on more than one occasion.

Veteran Real midfielder Toni Kroos’s comment after the last-eight draw – ‘nobody wanted Chelsea’ – will have delighted Tuchel, who in January vowed to build a team opponents dread to face. Tonight’s crowd will have a huge part to play in that intimidation too, and this is the last full house at Stamford Bridge for the immediate future. ‘We need to be better,’ Tuchel said yesterday, referring to the Brentford defeat, ‘and we need the crowd to be better.’

The Londoners have kept 10 clean sheets in 15 Champions League outings since Tuchel took charge – the best record of any club in the competition. In contrast, Los Blancos have managed two shut-outs in their past 16 European knockout fixtures.

Chelsea are unbeaten in eight when facing Spanish opposition (comprising four wins and four draws), including the past five under Thomas Tuchel’s tutelage (three wins and two draws).