Chelsea and Real Madrid will face off in the final of the 2013 International Champions Cup. However, a personal rivalry could take the attention off the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo and former Madrid coach Jose Mourinho have made headlines in the last few days over a comment the team leader made during an interview with ESPN.
"I was manager for the first time in 2000 but, before that, I was assistant in big clubs and with big managers and coaching the best players in the world, so I was 30 and I was coaching Ronaldo, not this one [Cristiano], the real one, the Brazilian Ronaldo," Mourinho said.
Ronaldo chose not to strike back at his coach, but it was clear that he was not happy.
"There are things in life which do not deserve comments," he said while talking with ESPN Deportes. "That is something I am not going to talk about for obvious reasons."
"I always respect my coaches and set out to learn from them. In Portugal, people say: 'I do not spit in the meal I am eating.' So that. I prefer to stick to positive things," he added.
However, the superstar made it clear where his attention will be on Wednesday.
"We are going to take on Chelsea, but it is just another game. We are taking on Chelsea, not the manager. We want to win," he said.
Madrid won its opening match 3-1 against the Los Angeles Galaxy before taking down Everton 2-1. Chelsea earned a pair of 2-0 wins against Inter Milan and AC Milan.
Here are the rosters:
Real Madrid:
Goalkeepers: Antonio Adan, Iker Casillas, Diego Lopez
Defenders: Alvaro Arbeloa, Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Marcelo, Fabio Coentrao, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Nacho, Denis Cheryshev
Midfielders: Angel Di Maria, Casemiro, Isco, Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Kaka, Luka Modric, Mesut Ozil, Asier Illarramendi
Forwards: Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jese Rodriguez
Chelsea:
Goalkeepers: Petr Cech, Mark Schwarzer, Jamal Blackman
Defenders: Branislav Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, David Luiz, Gary Cahill, John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Thomas Kalas, Ryan Bertrand
Midfielders: Michael Essien, Ramires, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata, Oscar, John Obi Mikel, Kevin De Bruyne, Mako van Ginkel, Eden Hazard
Forwards: Fernando Torres, Victor Moses, Andre Schurrle, Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba
Prediction: Real Madrid wins 2-1 with Ronaldo scoring a big goal.
Start Time: 9 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN Deportes, Fox Soccer Channel
Watch Live Stream HERE
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