The quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League start tonight, but the reigning champion, Real Madrid, will play their tie against Chelsea tomorrow. Tomorrow, the Spanish giant will host Chelsea FC at Santiago Bernabeu to play the first leg of the quarterfinal.
Chelsea’s struggle in the EPL continues this season. They are 11th in the league table with 39 points. As Chelsea is out of the top four, Chelsea will miss the next UCL. On the other hand, Real Madrid are also unlikely to win La Liga this season. They lost their last match in La Liga against Villarreal. No matter how their performance goes, Real Madrid will always be a favorite in the Champions League. A few days back, Real Madrid smashed FC Barcelona in the Copa del Ray at Camp Nou.
Stats & Facts
This is the third consecutive time Real Madrid meet Chelsea in the knockout stages. Chelsea won the semifinal in the 2020-21 season when they became the champion. Meanwhile, Real Madrid won the remaining two.
Real Madrid’s home records are something special in the UCL. They scored in each of the 30 Champions League games they played at Santiago Bernabeu. However, Chelsea’s records against the Spanish side are also good. They lost only one of their last nine UCL games against any Spanish club.
Team News
Real Madrid’s manager Carlo Ancelotti rested some key players such as Luka Modric, Tony Kroos, Eder Militao, and Eduardo Camavinga in the match against Villarreal. But he will surely put them in the starting XI to play against Chelsea. However, Ferland Mendy is the only absentee for Real Madrid as he hasn’t recovered from an injury.
As for Chelsea, Armando Broja and Thiago Silva are in doubt as they have been suffering from knee injuries. But Silva returned to the training ground and will try to play tomorrow. Another Chelsea player who is still in doubt is Mason Mount. But manager Frank Lampard will wait until the last.
Our Prediction: Real Madrid 2-0 Chelsea
Real Madrid are one of the toughest opponents for any club in the Champions League. Moreover, they will have tremendous support from the gallery. So the possibility for Real Madrid is high against Chelsea.
Betfair Odds
Real Madrid: 1.75
Draw: 3.80
Chelsea: 5.00
