Thankfully for Chelsea, the past counts for very little in Spain this evening. Because if it did, they would be better off staying at home.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are dining at European football’s top table on Tuesday. Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final — occasions don’t come much bigger.
Zinedine Zidane’s side won’t bat an eyelid, of course. This is their house, their competition. Thirteen titles, four of those since 2014. Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema, Dani Carvajal and Raphael Varane played in their most recent final win in 2018 and are set to start tonight.