Two proud clubs, each with their own story this season. Each with their own history in this most sought-after competition. Each with their own idea of a successful season this year clash at the Bridge!
This game looks to be one of those fixtures that start off against a cagey background and then just flare into something special – and you can bet that bottom piece that we are here for it all.
It’s the business end of the Champions League, let’s get into it.
UEFA Champions League: Quarter-Final
Wednesday 6 April
Stamford Bridge
21:00
To Win
Chelsea 1/1
Chelsea 1/1
Draw 49/20
Real Madrid 11/4
Real Madrid 11/4
Chelsea
As I said in my latest Premier League preview, the most impressive thing Chelsea have done recently is almost effortlessly channel everything going on around their team into positive performances.
They continue to compete in the league and are simultaneously challenging on more than one domestic front as well.
They now come up against a Madrid side who look to be coasting toward La Liga glory and have done so themselves with elegance and a touch of class. Chelsea will be hoping they can repeat the story of last season where they faced Madrid in the semi-finals, securing a 3-1 aggregate win (and as we now know, went on to win the entire thing).
The engine room at Stamford Bridge is without a doubt serviced and protected by N’Golo Kante and Jorginho. The former was the driving force for his side last season and I’m sure he will once again find himself close to the action.
Jorginho returns to his club off the back of his country – Italy – failing to qualify for their second subsequent World Cup…and winning the European Championship in between. His confidence and energy will be interesting to see, how easy will it be to flush those emotions given the turnaround time of him playing in another knockout environment so soon after?
Of course, he is not purely responsible or indeed capable of bringing his team success – but it would be naïve to undersell his contributions.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid have been brilliant for the most part of the season. Carlo Ancelotti has assumedly been inspired, once again, in his managerial role, and the work he and his team have done at Madrid is becoming more and more evident.
They are comfortably at the summit of La Liga, deservedly dispatching teams and then also competing in tough encounters. Of course, El Clasico would have been disappointing – but they just never seemed to ever get into that fixture. They started on the back foot and I’m not sure that ever changed.
The sad thing is now because of that loss, the Italian manager will find himself under incredible pressure. The reports have already begun to circle…asking why Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic are sidelined or why Gareth Bale is being worked out of the squad.
The issues were rooted in the fact that Ancelotti had incredible attacking talent on the bench and never looked like using them, even when the team cried out for more creativity and pressure on the opposition’s box. Karim Benzema missed that game due to a calf injury, so one can only wonder whether their French talisman will be fit for this one…
Real Madrid played a strange 4-2-4 formation against Barcelona to try and compensate (I would assume) for no other options being available to provide a defensive shape from the front – so Luka Modric was asked to play higher and awkwardly tried to lead a pressing line.
If this is the approach against the mind of Thomas Tuchel and the discipline of a Chelsea side happy to concede wide spaces but who are very aggressive in the middle of the pitch – I think Madrid could be embarrassed.
Prediction: Chelsea Win (1/1)
I think Chelsea win this game, but I’m not sold on them putting the tie to bed at the Bridge. If there is a ‘good time’ to play Madrid it might be now – only because of the unrelenting Spanish media who compound the pressure already evident by the Los Blancos support.
Even money is a cute price, so I don’t think you need too much convincing. Get stuck in!
Written by Ryan Liberty