Champions League: Real Madrid Ready for Chelsea Rematch

Chelsea vs Real Madrid

Chelsea and Real Madrid are all set to square off in the Champions League knockout round for the second successive season.

The Blues beat Real 3-1 on aggregate in last year’s semi-finals as they went on to win the title. And now, they host the Spanish giants at Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their quarter-final clash.

Chelsea will not be in the best of form for this match as they are coming off a stunning 1-4 loss at the hands of Brentford in the Premier League.

But despite that defeat, the Champions League 2022 betting odds still give the hosts a decent chance of beating Real, who will be eager to avenge their defeat to the Blues last year.

Talking Points

Blues must bounce back after Brentford collapse

Chelsea could not have had a worse match in preparation for their quarter-final first leg with Real Madrid. The Blues were battered 4-1 by Brentford at Stamford Bridge over the weekend, which is by far Chelsea’s heaviest defeat of the campaign. Prior to that match, they had not lost by more than a single goal all season.

After taking the lead through an Antonio Rudiger wonder goal, Chelsea completely collapsed as they conceded three goals within a 10-minute stretch.

After such a disastrous display by his side, Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is likely to make a number of changes against Real. Midfielders Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic, who both started on the bench against Brentford, could come in for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timo Werner. Meanwhile, Reece James is expected to take Cesar Azpilicueta’s spot on the right-hand side.

However, Christian Pulisic is a doubt to start, which would be a blow to the Blues. The American is coming off a terrific international break where he scored a hat-trick against Panama. He produced his share of Champions League 2022 highlights in Chelsea’s round-of-16 triumph against Lille as he scored two of their three goals. He also scored against Real Madrid in their semi-final tie last year.

Chelsea’s defeat to Brentford was just their second of the season at home. Their only other loss at Stamford Bridge was in September, when Manchester City won 1-0.

Benzema can’t stop scoring for Real

Real Madrid further strengthened their stranglehold at the top of La Liga with a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo this past weekend. Karim Benzema scored two goals from the penalty spot – although he missed another – to give Los Blancos a 12-point lead at the top of the table.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to start most of his first-choice players – including veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos – despite their massive Champions League clash in midweek. But even with a mostly full-strength side, Real were still far from impressive against Celta, who controlled 55 per cent of possession.

Ancelotti caught many off-guard by having an overly defensive gameplan in the first leg against Paris Saint-Germain away from home. It remains to be seen if he will dare to play the same way against another of his former teams at Stamford Bridge.

Although, it should be noted that Benzema was not fully fit in that first leg against PSG, and he will be coming into this match against Chelsea in sensational goalscoring form. Since that PSG first leg, Benzema has scored 10 goals and provided four assists in his last six games. That includes a spectacular hat-trick in the second leg against PSG to knock the French giants out.

History

This will be the sixth time Chelsea and Real Madrid will match up against each other. Surprisingly, the Blues are still undefeated in European competition against the Spanish giants, with three wins and two draws in their first five matches.

Chelsea and Real Madrid drew 1-1 in the first leg of their semi-final last year in Madrid. Christian Pulisic had put Chelsea ahead, but Karim Benzema equalised for Real.

Chelsea outclassed Real in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, though, as they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount.

Betting Tip 

SBOTOP odds have Chelsea installed as 2.14 favourites to win the home leg against Real Madrid, who are priced at 3.30. Meanwhile, a draw is similarly priced at 3.35.

Chelsea’s weekend defeat to Brentford was definitely bad, but it’s hard to imagine a Thomas Tuchel side playing that poorly for a second straight game. In fact, that loss might end up being a good thing as it helps the team refocus ahead of their big clash against Real.

Benzema will certainly be a big threat, but Chelsea’s defence has the ability to keep the Frenchman quiet. That’s why I’m going with the Blues to get the crucial first-leg win at home.

 

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