Chelsea welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge in the quarter finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Blues have arguably found themselves with the toughest draw of the English teams. Despite that, they’ll be confident they can get the job done.
Just 12 months ago, these two clubs met in the semi finals of this competition. It was Chelsea who went on to progress to the final and ultimately win the Champions League.
Not much has changed since then except a change of manager for Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti was tempted back to the Bernabeu from Everton and has them finely poised for another La Liga title.
Things haven’t gone as smoothly for the reigning champions since their triumph last season. They’ve struggled in the Premier League so far and have lost ground on City and Liverpool in the title race.
Sunday’s shock 4-1 defeat to London rivals Brentford will not have done them any favours. That result will likely serve as motivation for Madrid to come to London and get some revenge.
The 13-time Champions League winners made it to this stage after an inspiring comeback against PSG. in the previous round.
After losing the first leg 1-0 and then going 1-0 down in the second leg, all hope looked lost. That was until a Karim Benzema hat-trick secured a 3-2 victory on aggregate for Los Blancos.
Chelsea’s route was far more straightforward. A 2-0 first leg win over Lille was added to with a 2-1 second victory. That secured a comfortable 4-1 aggregate score. This will be much more difficult for the west Londoners.
Below, we’ll preview this Champions League fixture and provide our predictions, the team news, our recommended bets and more…
Chelsea vs Real Madrid Predictions
If last season’s two legged tie is anything to go by, this is going to be massively competitive. It’s likely going to take something special to separate the sides. Fortunately, both teams are blessed with an abundance of talent, so we could be in for a treat.
Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Brentford was indicative of Chelsea’s season so far. It’s a game they really should have won, but come up short. It’s the reason that they haven’t really been involved in the Premier League title race.
In the Champions League, the Blues haven’t really done much wrong. A 1-0 defeat to Juventus in the group stages is their only loss in the competition so far.
They even put that defeat right in emphatic style when they welcomed Juventus back to Stamford Bridge. The Londoners ran riot in an impressive 4-0 win.
Both sides have shown so far in this competition that they are not unbeatable. What they’ve also shown is that they are more than capable of turning it on when needed.
This could become a game of chess, with neither side wanting to give an inch. With the return leg in Madrid, the emphasis is on Chelsea to get a result here, however.
That won’t bother Thomas Tuchel and his men too much though. The Blues have a 100% record at home in the Champions League this season.
In the first leg game with PSG, it looked as though Real were trying to avoid defeat. That could be the tactic for this game as Ancelotti returns to the Bridge.
Read on for our Chelsea vs Real Madrid predictions and best bets.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid Head to Head
These two clubs have only met on five occasions in the past. Of those, Chelsea have won two, Real Madrid have won two and the other game was a draw.
The only games that will give us an indication of how this game could go is last season’s semi final. It was a very tense, competitive tie over the two legs and that’s more or less what’s expected here.
The first leg was played at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. Christian Pulisic put the Blues ahead early in the first half, but Real hit back with a Benzema equaliser.
On balance, it was a game that Chelsea probably should have won. They made no mistake in the second leg, however.
The Stamford Bridge faithful roared on as Chelsea took a first half lead thanks to Timo Werner. Mason Mount’s 85th minute strike put the tie beyond all doubt, as Chelsea progressed to the final.
That will have stung Real Madrid and they’ll have their eyes set on revenge here. Will having the first leg in London be an advantage for the Spaniards? We’ll soon find out.
Chelsea Team News – L W W W W
There’s no new injury concerns for the hosts heading into this first leg. Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi remain on the treatment table and will miss this.
Edouard Mendy will keep his place in net for the home side here. Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger will make up the defensive three.
Marcos Alonso will occupy the left wing back position. Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta will take up the right wing back role for Chelsea here.
Jorginho will occupy the defensive midfield role. He will be joined by N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic in the middle of the park.
Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic have been a fruitful partnership up front for the Blues. They’re expected to start together again here.
Real Madrid Team News – W L W W W
The visitors look set to name the same starting XI as the one that beat PSG in the previous round. Our Chelsea vs Real Madrid predictions expect Thibaut Courtois to keep his place in goal.
David Alaba and Eder Militao are expected to make up the centre defensive partnership. Nacho will take up the left wing back position, with Dani Carvajal at right wing back.
Toni Kroos will take up his usual position in the centre of the midfield. He’ll be joined by Federico Valverde and the evergreen Luca Modric in the middle.
Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio will provide some attacking width for Los Blancos. Karim Benzema will lead the attack on the back of his dramatic hat trick in the last round.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid Betting Tips
The defending champions come into this game as the narrow favourites. The traders have the hosts priced up at 21/20 to win the game in our Chelsea vs Real Madrid match bets.
A draw would be a great result for Real, as they’ll fancy their chances back at the Bernabeu. If you think Ancelotti’s men will keep it tight, you can back the draw at 12/5.
Madrid have every chance of winning this if they can muster up a performance like the second leg against PSG. If you think they can do that, you can back them at 13/5.
This one really is a difficult one to call. If Chelsea can put Sunday’s defeat behind them, they definitely have a chance. The Stamford Bridge crowd could be the difference here.
