UEFA Champions League: Chelsea vs. Real Madrid Preview, Odds, Prediction

The clash between Chelsea and Real Madrid might be one of the most interesting in the entire UEFA Champions League quarterfinal round. Not only does it carry a high significance, but we can’t wait to see these two sides going one after another because of the last year’s meetings between the Blues and Los Blancos. They met in the semis, with Chelsea surprisingly beating the favored Madridians. So the background of this battle is even more colorful than many think.

Preview

Chelsea (+100) lost the most recent clash against Brentford. To make it worse, a 1-4 knockout came at Stamford Bridge, and to be honest, nobody expected that. Tuchel’s unit played well before the same, having six victories in a row.

The Blues netted at least twice in all those successes, and even though many believe that they have problems upfront, the situation is different. What is problematic for the reigning UCL champs, is unstable defense. We often saw them making some cardinal mistakes which eventually had negative consequences.

Chelsea’s loss to Brentford was the first at home following 20 games. There were a lot of draws during that period, but the Blues didn’t lose. Even though this team has a very problematic situation regarding off-field matters, the atmosphere at Stamford is always fantastic.

Real Madrid (+180) significantly improved its form since mid-February. Before losing to Barcelona at home in El Clasico, the Spanish powerhouse had five straight wins. That 0-4 defeat was one of the worst in the past decade. Though, Benzema and the boys quickly recovered, winning in Vigo against Celta, 1-2.

Saturday’s victory was the third consecutive for Real away from Bernabeu. An encouraging fact for Ancelotti is that his defense performs well, allowing just one goal during that span. The Italian relies upon the back line heavily, and when they deliver, Real is almost unbeatable.

Six of the previous seven events Real played on the road were with only one side scoring. That is another proof that Ancelotti likes to set defensive-minded tactics outside Madrid.

Latest News

Ben Chilwell is the only player unavailable for the home side, but the fantastic back has been out for quite some time now. Callum Hudson-Odoi will be a game-time decision, according to the English media.

Eden Hazard is out, and he won’t play against his old team. Isco is injured as well, the same as Luka Jovic.

Head to Head Games

The most recent meetings were last year in the UCL semis when Chelsea beat Real 3-1 on aggregate. The first leg in Madrid ended with a draw, 1-1, while the second one ended with the Blues triumphing at Stamford.

Prediction

Tuchel is always protecting his goal first and attacks later. We haven’t seen some particularly creative performances from Chelsea this year, and be sure that we won’t in the future. On the other side, when it comes to Real, we already wrote that Ancelotti usually uses a conservative approach on the road. Therefore, the final pick here is under 2.5 goals. This will be a tough match, with just a few chances and the action taking place in the midfield.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals -125