Thibaut Courtois is hoping to not receive a negative reaction as he returns to Chelsea as a Real Madrid keeper.
Chelsea host Real Madrid in the first-leg of their quarter-final clash on Wednesday, as they hope to produce a repeat of their semi-final triumph over Los Blancos from last season.
The game last season was played behind closed doors due to coronavirus, so this will be the first time that Courtois plays in front of his former fans since he left for the Spanish capital in 2018.
Courtois told Real Madrid’s official website, as per Marca: ‘I hope that they (Chelsea fans) don’t boo me but you never know.
‘I’m prepared for whatever comes and we’ll have to see how it goes.
‘I hope it’s a happy return to Stamford Bridge. We’re now rivals. They’ll want to win and the same goes for me too and so I’m not expecting any applause from the fans.’
The 29-year-old joined Chelsea in 2011 and spent seven years at the club, though the first three seasons were spent out on loan at Atletico Madrid.
He replaced Petr Cech as the club’s number one goalkeeper from the 2014-15 season and went on to make 154 appearances for the club – winning two Premier League titles.
Some Chelsea fans were not happy with how he left the club for Real Madrid in 2018.
Courtois had expressed his desire to leave which Chelsea responded by insisting they would not let him go unless a replacement was found.
The Belgian keeper responded by not showing up to training and not long later signed a six-year contract with the Spanish giants.
Courtois has gone on to make 170 appearances for Los Blancos in which he has won one LaLiga title.
He looks likely to win a second title with Madrid this season, who hold a 12 point lead over Barcelona with eight games to play.