Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he is pleased to return to the dugout at Stamford Bridge this weekend against Brighton & Hove Albion as he looks for his first win in his second stint at the London club.
Lampard took over as caretaker manager last week and has overseen two defeats - away at Wolves in the Premier League and at Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Brighton are seventh in the league, seven points ahead of 11th-placed Chelsea.
"I'm delighted to be back and the honour never falls short. I loved every minute and I'm happy to be back," Lampard was quoted as saying by Reuters ahead of Saturday's game.
"But the overriding feeling is focus on the job. I'll appreciate being back, but I'll have my serious face on."
Compounding their issues, Kalidou Koulibaly will not be available after the centre back injured his hamstring against Real Madrid, with the defender set for a spell on the sidelines.
Earlier, Lampard defended Chelsea's tactical approach after watching his side go down 2-0 to Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
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Karim Benzema of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the first goal in the 2-0 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on April 12, 2023. Getty -
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their first goal with Vinicius Junior. Reuters -
Karim Benzema of Real Madrid scores their first goal as Kepa Arrizabalaga of Chelsea looks on. Getty -
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema scores the opening goal. AP -
Marco Asensio of Real Madrid celebrates after scoring the second goal. Getty -
Real Madrid players celebrate Marco Asensio's goal. Getty -
Chelsea's Ben Chilwell fouls Real Madrid's Rodrygo on the edge of the box before being shown a red card. Reuters -
Chelsea's Ben Chillwell is shown a red card by referee Francois Letexier. EPA -
Real Madrid's Thibaut Courtois and defender David Alaba react after the keeper made a save from Raheem Sterling. EPA -
Kalidou Koulibaly of Chelsea leaves the field after picking up an injury. Getty -
Chelsea forward Joao Felix shoots as Real Madrid's Eder Militao tries to close him down. AFP -
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana battles with Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior. AFP -
Chelsea's Raheem Sterling and Real Madrid's Eduardo Camavinga. AFP -
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior in action against Chelsea's Wesley Fofana. EPA -
Real Madrid's Toni Kroos tangles with Chelsea's Joao Felix. Reuters -
Chelsea's caretaker manager Frank Lampard greets Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti. AP -
Chelsea's Reece James stretches as he attempts to block a shot from Real Madrid's Karim Benzema. AFP -
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior tries to pass the ball as Chelsea's Wesley Fofana defends in the penalty box. AP -
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti before the match. Reuters -
Chelsea's Joao Felix rues a missed chance. PA -
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema battles against Chelsea's Thiago Silva. EPA -
Real Madrid's Fede Valverde has a shot. EPA -
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti juggles the ball on the touchline. Getty -
Chelsea's Reece James has a shot. AFP -
Real Madrid's Rodrygo and Chelsea's Thiago Silva compete. AFP -
Chelsea Kepa Arrizabalaga collects the ball under pressure. AFP -
Chelsea's Kalidou Koulibaly wins the ball in the air. AFP -
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti gestures on the touchline as Rodrygo lies prone. AP
Real's front three of Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo were at their best and caused Chelsea plenty of problems.
Vinicius in particular troubled Reece James and Wesley Fofana down the visitors' right, with Fofana receiving a yellow card after only five minutes for tripping the Brazilian on the halfway line.
Chelsea's plans were further thrown into disarray when Ben Chilwell was sent off on the hour mark for hauling down Rodrygo when he was the last man.
Lampard said he had hoped to be able to stifle the European champions' attack by selecting both Fofana and James on the right whie still allowing an attacking outlet for his side.
"Vinicius one-v-one is a big problem for any team," he said. "We wanted to be able to create two-v-one on that side of the pitch. It didn't help Fofana getting the yellow card so early, it makes you nervous about that.
"We want to not be a back five as much as we can, we tried to enforce that. With the ball we want to be a (back) three, we want to use the width of the pitch. I think we could have done that a bit better. It was a weapon to use for us today.
"In terms of the system, the thinking was very clear on that to deal with their threats, but also to give us, in possession, control of the game."
