Chelsea have a tough task of overturning a two-goal deficit when they square up against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Real Madrid registered a 2-0 win over host Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final. The Blues will be eager to overturn the deficit, even though it won’t be easy, given the fact that Los Blancos completely dominated the first leg.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea were clueless in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu. They were beaten by a dominant Los Blancos. However, the Blues will hope they can put together a better show on their home turf as they look to progress further in the Champions League.
Chelsea have had a difficult season so far. They have signed quite a few players in the last few transfer windows. Despite signing some of the best young talents from across Europe, they have failed to produce results on the pitch.
Chelsea have been winless in their last six matches in all competitions. The West Londoners have found it hard to get going and the recruitment of Frank Lampard as their caretaker manager until the end of the season has not worked in their favour so far.
They head into the second leg on the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Brighton in the Premier League. And, things do not look good for the London club. Meanwhile, Real Madrid head into this fixture with a two-goal advantage and will hope to make it further in the UCL, having won it last season. Los Blancos were clinical in the last outing and managed to dominate Frank Lampard’s men.
However, Carlo Ancelotti’s charges will not take anything lightly as they are well aware of the quality of the players that the Blues possess. Real Madrid have been inconsistent in the league of late. But, they have been dominant in Europe. The league title race looks beyond their reach as they are 11 points behind league leaders Barcelona. And, their major focus at this point in time is winning the Champions League.
Los Blancos head into this fixture on the back of a 2-0 win over Cadiz in the league. And, they will be hopeful of something similar when they square up against the Blues in the second leg. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics the teams could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Chelsea
Chelsea’s interim boss, Frank Lampard will be without the services of Armando Broja. Along with the youngster, Kalidou Koulibaly is also unavailable after suffering a knock in the first leg. Ben Chilwell, who received a straight red, in the first leg will be serving a suspension in this fixture.
Watch Frank Lampard and Kepa preview our game with Real Madrid! #UCL https://t.co/UFJK2ErsBK
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 17, 2023
Lampard is likely to start with the 4-3-3 formation, where Kepa Arrizabalaga will be in goal. Reece James and Marc Cucurella should be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Wesley Fofana should pair up with veteran Thiago Silva, who was rested in their previous outing.
N’Golo Kante will start as the holding midfielder, and he will be supported by Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic. The trio will look to have a better outing in the centre of the park in their quest to overpower Los Blancos. Mykhailo Mudryk could get a rare start out wide alongside Joao Felix. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz should be leading the line for the Blues.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Fofana, Silva, Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Kante, Kovacic; Mudryk, Havertz, Felix
Real Madrid
As far as Los Blancos are concerned, Ferland Mendy is the only player unavailable due to an injury. Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior, who were rested in their previous outing as a precautionary measure, are expected to return to the squad.
😎 Don Carlo 😎@MrAncelotti | #UCL pic.twitter.com/FjncjWZDpX
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 17, 2023
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make no changes to the XI that took the field against the Blues in the first leg. The Italian will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will be in goal. Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Carvajal should be the full-backs for this fixture. Meanwhile, Eder Militao should once again pair up with David Alaba in the heart of the defence.
Veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos should have the support of Federico Valverde in the centre of the park. The trio will once again have the job of dictating the pace of the game. As far as the attack is concerned, Real Madrid’s marksman Karim Benzema will be leading the lines. The Brazilian wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes will be in his support.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Key Stats
- Chelsea have lost two of their last three matches against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. Both their defeats have come in the quarterfinals.
- Chelsea lost their last match against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. They have never lost twice to a team at home in the UEFA Champions League.
- After winning the first leg 2-0, Real Madrid have progressed in 18 of their last 19 UEFA Champions League ties.
- The Blues have found it difficult to score in the league, managing only 30 goals in their 31 outings. On the other hand, Real Madrid are the highest-scoring team in their league with 61 goals.
- Vinicius Junior has ten goal contributions in his nine Champions League outings in the ongoing season.
Player to Watch
Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo has been Carlo Ancelotti’s go-to man in difficult situations. The 22-year-old winger was integral to their success in the UEFA Champions League last season. He scored important goals that kept Los Blancos alive in the competition and helped them win their 14th Champions League title.
As far as the ongoing season is concerned, the Brazil international has 21 goal contributions in all competitions. In his nine Champions League outings so far, he has five goal contributions. And, Ancelotti will bank on the winger to add to his tally and get the job done for Madrid.
Prediction
Chelsea 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid will come into this game with a comfortable lead. And they will be looking to avoid any unnecessary risks. They will try to keep the ball and control the tempo of the game, hoping to catch Chelsea on the counter-attack.
On the other hand, Chelsea will be desperate to turn things around after their disappointing performance in the first leg. They will look to take the game to Real Madrid and try to score an early goal to put pressure on the visitors.
They will need to be wary of Los Blancos’ counter-attacking threat and not leave themselves exposed at the back. And, given the quality of the Real Madrid players, the Blues might not have enough in their tank to turn things around. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the visitors.
