Chelsea welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final showdown.
In last season’s semi-finals, Chelsea claimed a 3-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid before beating Manchester City in the final.
➡️ NEXT UP: @ChelseaFC away! 📅 Wednesday (9pm CEST)#UCL pic.twitter.com/pnjDaBEddW— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 3, 2022
➡️ NEXT UP: @ChelseaFC away! 📅 Wednesday (9pm CEST)#UCL pic.twitter.com/pnjDaBEddW
Can the Blues take another step towards defending their crown? Or will Los Blancos gain their revenge this time around?
Thomas Tuchel’s side suffered a shock 4-1 home defeat to Brentford at the weekend, despite racking up 71% possession and 21 shots.
Saturday’s loss ended a six-game winning streak for Chelsea. That tells you everything you need to know about the unexpected nature of the defeat.
As a result, the Blues find themselves third in the Premier League table – 13 points behind Liverpool and 14 behind Man City.
In the Champions League, Tuchel’s men lost just one of their six group games before sealing a 4-1 aggregate victory over Lille in the round of 16.
Like Chelsea, Real Madrid lost one of their six group games – securing five wins along the way. They also kept four clean sheets in Group D.
A magical second-half hat-trick from Karim Benzema saw Los Blancos dispatch Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate in the previous round.
Funnily enough, Benzema bagged a brace as Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 2-1 at the weekend. That means they have won five of their past six La Liga games.
The French striker has now bagged 32 goals and 11 assists in 34 games across all competitions this season, including eight goals in seven UCL appearances.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side sit miles clear atop the La Liga table and look destined to secure the title well before the season’s end.
Head-to-head: Chelsea and Real Madrid have faced each other five times over the years. Believe it or not, Los Blancos have yet to beat the Blues.
The Londoners have beaten Real Madrid on three occasions, while the other two games were drawn. Can Ancelotti’s men buck the trend?
Team news: Ben Chilwell remains Chelsea’s only long-term absentee. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic are also injury doubts for the first leg.
As for Real Madrid, Eden Hazard looks set to miss the match against his former club. There are also question marks over the fitness of Luka Jovic.
This is destined to be an epic battle between two top sides. However, Chelsea look set to benefit from the home-field advantage in the first leg.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will notch a narrow win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, achieving a shutout in the process.