Real Madrid vs Chelsea
UEFA Champions League
Date: 12 April 2023, Wednesday
Kick-off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid).
On Wednesday, reigning European champion Real Madrid will host Chelsea in their first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The match will be held at the Bernabéu. The Blues are coming off a win after they defeated German club team, FCB Borussia Monchengladbach, 2-1 on the road. The two teams will then face off again on April 18. In last year’s quarterfinals, Real Madrid defeated the London club, 5-4.
The match will be broadcasted on Paramount+. According to the latest odds released by Caesars Sports, Real Madrid is the heavy favorite at -165. On the other hand, the Blues are listed as the underdog at +440. A draw is also favored at +290. The over/under for the total goals scored is 2.5.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea Head-to-head
- In last season’s quarterfinals, Real Madrid faced off against Chelsea at the Santiago Bernabeu. After extra time, the Spanish club was able to advance to the next stage.
- Back then, it was another thrilling match between two of the world’s best teams. After winning the first leg in London, Real Madrid needed extra time to advance.
- In the previous six meetings, both the teams were able to score goals.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea Prediction
Since the beginning of the year, Chelsea have not been affected by the managerial change. Their recent match against Wolves ended in a defeat, and we can expect no problems from the visitors when they take on Carlo Ancelotti’s men on Wednesday.
In the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid secured a resounding victory over Barcelona by defeating them 4-0. We believe that the home team will win the match at the odds of 1.70. We also think that Karim Benzema will score the first goal of the match. The French forward has been in great form lately, as he has scored three goals in the last two games against Barcelona and Valladolid.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea Team News
Real Madrid’s medical staff is looking after only one injured player, Ferland Mendy. He is recovering from a calf injury that he suffered during training. He is the hosts’ sole absentee for this match.
In the wake of the defeat to Legia, Carlo Ciano decided to rest several key players. Some of them include Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Eder Militao. Also, the likes of Camavinga, who played the entire 90 minutes in the victories over Liverpool and Manchester City, should be recalled.
In addition, the incident involving Federico Valverde and Alex Baena, which happened after the match, has been widely talked about. The former reportedly punched the latter after making a personal remark about his child.
According to a statement released by the club, Baena has lodged a criminal complaint against the player. At present, it is not clear if the incident will affect the availability of the former.
Although Mason Mount is eligible to return from his suspension for the first leg of the Champions League, he is not considered to be ready to play against Real Madrid due to his abdominal issue.
Both Azpilicueta and Broja are expected to be back in action in a couple of weeks. However, Thiago Silva has joined the squad. Besides the aforementioned players, other notable absentees include Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana, and Noni Madueke.
There were initially concerns about N’Golo Kante’s absence from the squad for the match against Wolves due to a hamstring injury. However, it was merely precautionary and he could be back in the starting lineup alongside Ben Chilwell.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Alaba; Modric, Camavinga, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Kepa; James, Fofana, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Kovacic, Fernandez, Kante; Sterling, Havertz, Felix
