Frank Lampard wants Chelsea players to repeat 2012 heroics in Champions League

Frank Lampard has urged Chelsea to disregard the chaos engulfing his faltering team as he looks to recreate the Blues’ amazing journey to Champions League victory in 2012.

Lampard has taken over as manager of Chelsea until the end of the season, having replaced Graham Potter, who was relieved of his duties last week after over six months since his appointment.

After being in charge of Chelsea in the 1-0 defeat at Wolves in his first game in charge on Saturday, Lampard now leads them to Real Madrid for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

Chelsea are currently 11th on the Premier League table resulting from an underwhelming season so far that has seen Thomas Tuchel and Potter both fired.

Despite their poor domestic form, the west Londoners have made it to the final eight of the Champions League.

Going past Real Madrid, who are current winners of the competition, would be a massive upset, but Lampard is no stranger to beating the odds in the Champions League. He led Chelsea to an unexpected Champions League victory 11 years ago.

The Blues finished sixth in a disappointing top-flight season, with Roberto Di Matteo taking over from Andre Villas-Boas in March.

However, in the Champions League, they overcame a 3-1 first-leg deficit to defeat Napoli in the last 16, then came back from a 2-1 loss on aggregate in the semi-final second leg to defeat Barcelona despite a red card for John Terry on a historic night at the Camp Nou.

Lampard seeks a repeat of the fairytale when they face Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid in the quarterfinal of this year’s competition.

“There’s a lot to it. Part of that was we parked the bus at the Nou Camp and managed to hang on for our dear lives! There are so many things, fate in different moments,” he said.

“But we did have a huge desire and a big character and a level of talent in the group that have been striving for years to win a Champions League so that one you remember.

“A team and a group will always go through tough moments to get to great ones.”

The meeting between Madrid and Chelsea will be the third consecutive time these two teams are meeting in the Champions League.