After leaving Chelsea less than a year ago, Antonio Rudiger says the club has changed beyond recognition.
After spending five years with the Premier League's Blues, the German center defender, Rudiger, 30, came to Madrid last summer. After the transfer, Rudiger has adapted well to Carlo Ancelotti's squad.
For the next two weeks, Real Madrid will play Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and the former Blues defender has noted how much Chelsea has changed since he left.
Graham Potter, who had replaced Thomas Tuchel as manager, was also sacked, therefore Frank Lampard takes over as manager for the remainder of the season.
With new owner Todd Boehly, Chelsea have also spent over £600 million on new players, although they have failed to gel this season and are now ranked 11th in the top-flight table.
Rudiger left the Blues last year after five seasons there, and Real Madrid will face Chelsea next.
When questioned by Marca about the Chelsea game, Rudiger said, "I don't really know what to anticipate... It has changed a lot." That doesn't resemble the squad I played for at all.
Even by Real Madrid's lofty standards, this season has been challenging. They will be looking to defend their Champions League crown to give their campaign some meaning since they are now 12 points behind Barcelona at the top of LaLiga.
In a thorough interview, Rudiger said that playing for Real Madrid comes with pressure, particularly given the success of his predecessors at the club.
'I expect quality, because they are very good players, but I don't know what else we can find. It won't be an easy game, but we are Real Madrid.'
The center-back said that the strain starts with the travel to Real Madrid's training facility and their intense matches both at home and abroad.
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