Chelsea stars relishing challenge in ICC final against Real Madrid

The Blues expect a stern test from Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates on Wednesday night, as Ashley Cole, Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are keen to face the famed Spanish side.

Chelsea's Ashley Cole is excited at the prospect of facing off against Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo once again.

The Stamford Bridge outfit will take on the Spanish giants in the Guinness International Champions Cup final on Wednesday evening in Miami as the two sides vie for preseason silverware.

And the England international, who will take on Los Blancos for the first time in his career in the showpiece event at Sun Life Stadium, is looking forward to taking on the Portugal star as well as seeing former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is now head coach at the Bernabeu.

"Real Madrid will be a huge test for us, they're obviously one of the best teams in the world, and I've had some good games with Cristiano Ronaldo down the years, so I hope this will be another exciting match," Cole told Chelsea's official website. "It will be great to catch up with Carlo Ancelotti, who is a great guy. We loved working with him at Chelsea, and hopefully he can have a good first season in Spain."

Juan Mata is also eagerly anticipating the midweek contest in the United States, having started his career with Madrid before signing with Valencia in March 2007.

"It will be very special for me to play against Real Madrid, a very important team to me in my career," Mata said. "I hope the fans will enjoy the game in Miami, which I think will be very exciting, and that we can lift the trophy in the final to make them happy."

Eden Hazard expressed his excitement as well, as he looks forward to taking on the likes of Ronaldo.

"It's a big game for me as I'm a young player, and it's very exciting. Real Madrid is a massive club and they have a number of quality players with the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka," Hazard said. "This will be the first time I've played against them and it will be a big game, not just for the players but also the fans, and hopefully we can win the match."