Frank Lampard has sent Chelsea supporters a brutally honest message ahead of the Blues’ clash with Real Madrid. The west London outfit will welcome Carlo Ancelotti’s side to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening in the Champions League quarter-final second-leg.

Speaking in a press conference following Chelsea’s defeat to Brighton, the Blues boss refused to encourage fans ahead of the tie. He said: “I’m not here to do that. What matters is what we deliver on the pitch.

“I don’t think what I say will make the fans come and be anything else than what they normally are on a Champions League night when Real Madrid is there and it’s an opportunity to try and turn something around. I don’t want to go ‘please come and support us positively’, I know they’ll do that.

“We have to play with that energy and fight. That’s the bare minimum. Of course organisation against Real Madrid, they’re a top team. It’s up to us, nothing is on the fans for this one, it’s up to us as a squad in terms of the game on Tuesday.”