People don’t know how much I love Chelsea: Mourinho

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho was hoping for a dream Champions League final against his former club Chelsea on Thursday after the Spanish giants cruised into the quarter-finals.

Nine-time winners Real beat CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the second leg of their last 16 tie for a 5-2 aggregate win with Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo grabbing two of the goals.

No sooner had the night's business been settled, however, than Mourinho was already eyeing Chelsea, who won an extra-time thriller to defeat Napoli, as potential final opponents in May.

"People can't understand how much I love Chelsea and I know if I get them in the quarter-finals or the semi-finals, they would be great opponents," said Mourinho, who has been widely-tipped to retake the reins at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

"I'm happy Chelsea have got through, but I'd love to play them in the final."

The Real coach was also happy to heap more praise on Ronaldo whose brace took his Real Madrid career total to 19 goals in 24 appearances in the Champions League.

Compared to 16 goals during his 55 outings as a Manchester United player, the Portuguese star is flourishing at Real.

"Ronaldo is unbelievable," said Mourinho.

"You would have thought with the number of goals he scored last season you couldn't improve, but he is at another level."

Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema were also on target on Wednesday as Real joined bitter rivals Barcelona in the last eight, the draw for which will be held on Friday.

The only negative on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Xabi Alonso that means he will miss the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

"It's not a problem that Xabi can't play, we are not going to cry about it, there is no problem for (Lass) Diarra or (Esteban) Granero to play with (Sami) Khedira," added Mourinho.

The coach added he was happy with his team but underlined how difficult the match had been until Ronaldo got Madrid's second goal of the evening.

"We suffered more than we should have until the second goal and the game was demanding until the end but all Champions League games are like this," he said.

"We gave a mature and balanced performance and now we'll take on whoever the draw pairs us with on Friday."

Alonso last-eight suspension a Real blow for Madrid

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who praised his players for a mature performance in Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow, will be missing one of his most experienced players for their quarter-final first leg.

Midfielder Xabi Alonso, who has stamped his authority on the side since joining from Liverpool three years ago, picked up a booking against the Russians that means he is suspended for the nine-times European champions' next match.

Alonso performs much the same role as his Spain team mate Xavi at Barcelona and a significant part of Real's build-up play flows through the 30-year-old Basque, whose tough tackling also makes him adept at breaking up opponents' attacks.

"It is very bad news for us," Emilio Butragueno, a former Real player and now a club director, said on Spanish television.

"Xabi is a key man who plays all our games and he has a significant role in our way of playing."

Mourinho acknowledged Alonso's importance to the team at his post-match news conference but said he has other players he can call on to partner German international Sami Khedira in central midfield.

Esteban Granero and Lassana Diarra have similar profiles to Alonso, while Turkey's Nuri Sahin is itching for a chance to prove himself after coming back from injury.

"Xabi Alonso is a great player and very important for us, but we're not going to cry about it as we're solid in midfield," Mourinho said.

"Granero and Lass can easily play with Khedira and Nuri, whose spirits we're trying to raise," added the Portuguese.

"Alonso will rest and that way he will be able to play all the La Liga games and he will be fit to the end."

Asked about his 50th-minute booking, which he earned when the score was 1-0 to Real, Alonso told reporters:

"When it happened on the pitch I had my doubts but I would have to see it again.

"It's a shame but the game was still open and I took a risk," he added. "I knew the situation but at the same time there is no need to turn it into a drama."

Real will learn on Friday who they will face in the last eight, with holders Barcelona, who knocked them out in the semi-finals last season, lurking in the draw along with fellow heavyweights AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

Olympique Marseille, Benfica and APOEL Nicosia are also through, with the first legs to be played on March 27/28 and the second legs on April 3/4.

"The important thing is to be in the quarters and now we'll wait to see what happens on Friday," Mourinho said.