Can Chelsea still pull off the miracle?
The second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final between Real Madrid and Chelsea FC is on the agenda. The royals enter with a big advantage, having won the first leg at Stamford Bridge.
For Chelsea, it is now a matter of showing a clear improvement in performance. In any case, the Blues have already warmed up. Ahead of the Real Madrid vs Chelsea match, however, betting odds indicate a slight favourite role for the hosts.
Chelsea, meanwhile, will be hoping to take an early lead. If they do, Real could well become a little more nervous. The game kicks off at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday evening, kicking off at 9pm.
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
Real Madrid are not necessarily playing an outstanding season in purely footballing terms, but in terms of results, apart from the Copa del Rey, the Royals are more than on course. The La Liga title is now only a formality and in the Champions League, the royals are now also registering ambitions after progressing against PSG and the 3:1 in the first leg at Chelsea. Real have a good chance of winning the title, even if other clubs are ranked further ahead.
Karim Benzema, who followed up a hat-trick against PSG with a treble against Chelsea, is one reason for optimism at Real. The Frenchman is in the form of his life and has hardly been more important. On top of that, the Spaniards can almost plan on reaching the semi-finals. In nine out of ten cases, Real Madrid have progressed after an away win.
In addition, everything is going according to plan in terms of personnel. Eden Hazard is absent due to injury, but does not play a decisive role for Real Madrid anyway. In addition, only the yellow-banned Eder Militao is still missing. Nacho is a fully competent replacement. So Carlo Ancelotti can almost draw on a full complement of players.
The form speaks for Real Madrid
The form is definitely right, as Real Madrid have won eight of their last nine games. In four of these games, the team remained without conceding a goal, only the 0:4 against FC Barcelona was a relapse into times with significantly worse form. Real Madrid, however, look very stable overall, play in a straightforward, well-organised manner and thus also took the bite out of Chelsea in the first leg.
The dress rehearsal against FC Getafe was a success, with 2:0 and a bit of rotation, the favourites came off the pitch as winners. In La Liga, they are now twelve points ahead of Barcelona, who still have a game in hand. Here, everything points to Real Madrid winning the championship. The bookmakers, however, assess the chances of winning the Champions League as somewhat weaker, with Real Madrid only in fourth place.
Generally speaking, the signs seem to be very good if you go with the royals. Real Madrid are stable and will not take Chelsea lightly despite their lead. Because the visitors also have a lot of quality in their ranks, our prediction before the Real Madrid vs Chelsea match is that both teams will score.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Courtois – Carvajal, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy – Casemiro, Kroos, Modric – Asensio, Vinicius Jr., Benzema
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
La Liga
04/09 2022 – Real Madrid 2 – 0 Getafe
Champions League Final
04/06 2022 – Chelsea FC 1 – 3 Real Madrid
La Liga
04/02 2022 – Celta Vigo 1 – 2 Real Madrid
03/20 2022 – Real Madrid 0 – 4 FC Barcelona
03/14 2022 – Mallorca 0 – 3 Real Madrid
Chelsea – Statistics & current form
Chelsea are having some problems at the moment, but this is mainly due to the turmoil surrounding the sale of the club. The Blues are economically limited at the moment, which of course has general repercussions. Chelsea don’t really know what to do next, a new buyer has not yet been found. In the midst of all this is this important game at Real Madrid, where nothing less than the highest away win in a Champions League knockout round is needed to progress.
At the weekend, however, Chelsea celebrated a high and deserved 6-0 win away at Southampton FC. The attack was brilliant and showed itself in excellent shape. That should give some encouragement. The overall form is also only slightly weaker than that of the hosts, with Chelsea winning seven of their last nine games and losing the other two.
The approach should be interesting. Running into an open knife would be a fatal mistake. Due to the abolition of the away goals rule, even a 2-0 win is enough to force the hosts into extra time. Compactness and a certain patience in attack would be important for this.
Chelsea need an outstanding game
In general, it should be said that Chelsea can be expected to do a lot, especially away from home. They averaged 2.25 points per game in the league, scored more goals away than at home, won more often and conceded only nine goals in 16 games. The Blues feel quite comfortable away from home.
Despite everything, Chelsea should have the ideal day, must not make any mistakes and must still hope that Real Madrid offer just that. At some point, moreover, the risk should inevitably be increased, which plays into the hosts’ hands. Therefore, ahead of the Real Madrid vs Chelsea match, our value tip is that the hosts will walk off the field victorious.
Predicted Chelsea line-up:
Mendy – Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Christensen – Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso – Mount, Pulisic, Havertz
Last matches played by Chelsea:
Premier League
04/09 2022 – Southampton 0 – 6 Chelsea FC
Champions League Final
04/06 2022 – Chelsea FC 1 – 3 Real Madrid
Premier League
04/02 2022 – Chelsea FC 1 – 4 Brentford
FA Cup
03/19 2022 – Middlesboro 0 – 2 Chelsea FC
Champions League Final
03/16 2022 – Lille 1 – 2 Chelsea FC
Real Madrid – Chelsea Tip
Real Madrid have the slightly better form of these two teams, but Chelsea impressed at least in the dress rehearsal. Therefore, the game could be very close and interesting. The signs speak for themselves, though.
The bookmakers are sure that Real Madrid will qualify – but the outcome of this match is far from certain. Under the given circumstances, our tip before the Real Madrid vs. Chelsea match is that both teams will score goals.
