Frank Lampard says he is not thinking ahead and is solely focused on Chelsea’s upcoming Champions League quarter-final first leg clash against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening.

Lampard has only been back at Chelsea as caretaker manager since Thursday. With our Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid looming large, he has had to deal with comparisons to the 2011-12 season.

Just over ten years ago, a legendary former Blues midfielder, Roberto Di Matteo, came to Stamford Bridge in the middle of the season to take over the team until the end of the season. This was because the team was not doing well in the league.

Any Chelsea fan knows how that turned out, since Lampard led Di Matteo’s team to victory in the Champions League final as captain.

Lampard says they will not count on history and will keep his sights fully focused on the task at hand against Real Madrid in this season’s Champions League.

“Probably on the outside, in a romantic sort of way, I can see why people would make the comparison,” said Lampard.

“But I think in football terms, because our games will be against Real Madrid and, if we can progress, Bayern Munich or Man City, there are practical things that are really tough. So I certainly don’t want to be getting one step further ahead of ourselves than I should.

“We only can focus now on the game on Wednesday and the challenge there. I don’t think the history has a big effect on it but I understand the romantic idea. Wouldn’t we all love to see it again? But we have to work towards that. I think it is hard to compare with previous years gone by.

“There was 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 in the game. There were so many bits of fate and different moments but we did have a huge desire and a big character and a level of talent in a group that had been striving for years to win the Champions League.

“That year’s the one people remember, but the one they don’t remember is getting knocked out by Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge, and other times like that. A team and a group will always go through tough moments to get to the great ones and now, with the team we’re putting together, everyone understands we’re not in that sort of position now.

“We’re not in that position, but we have an opportunity against a fantastic team and we just have to attempt to make the most of the opportunity – go there with confidence and go there with a belief, because otherwise you don’t turn up.”