The highly anticipated first leg of the quarter-final tie between defending champions, Real Madrid, and Chelsea will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Wednesday night. Los Blancos boss, Carlo Ancelotti, will face his former club, with both teams aiming to secure an advantage in the first leg.
Madrid qualified for this stage of the competition after an impressive 6-2 aggregate win against Liverpool, while Chelsea had to come from behind to eliminate Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the previous round. The former has earmarked the Champions League as their top priority this season, as they hope to clinch their 15th title in the competition.
The Spanish champions will come into the mid-week affair with an impressive home record in the competition, having won their last five matches at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, their domestic form has been inconsistent, with their defeat to Villarreal last weekend leaving them 13 points behind the league leaders, Barcelona.
Needless to say, Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for a bounce-back performance from his team as they aim to secure a place in the semi-finals. In the last-16 first leg clash with Liverpool at Anfield, the Italian coach and his charges left the Anfield crowd stunned by scoring five without reply, having previously conceded twice. They proceeded to bury the tie with a slender 1-0 win at the Bernabeu to set-up the upcoming clash with Chelsea and should be confident once more going into the cup encounter.
The Blues, on the other hand, have had a disappointing season so far, and pressure is mounting, with the club looking out of sorts at the moment. The return of Frank Lampard following the sack of Graham Potter is yet to yield the desired result, with the former losing his first game over the weekend.
Currently, Chelsea are currently struggling to qualify for next season's Champions League through their league position, making their participation in this year's competition even more crucial. Nevertheless, the London club will be aiming to build on their impressive unbeaten streak against the Champions League's defending champions, having not lost to a title-holder since 2004-05. They will be hoping to repeat their 2021 success and reach the semi-finals of the competition.
Still, for the Stamford Bridge outfit to prevail, they will have to bring their A-game. They have every reason to believe that they can create an upset as the last time the two teams met was in the quarter-finals of the previous season, where the Blues emerged victorious with a 3-2 scoreline at the Bernabeu. However, and unfortunately, Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win, dashing Chelsea's hopes of retaining their Champions League crown, and this, they will hope to avoid.
Form Guide: Real Madrid vs Chelsea
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Real Madrid Champions League form: WDLWWW
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Real Madrid form (all competitions): WWLWWL
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Chelsea Champions League form: WWWWLW
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Chelsea form (all competitions): WWDLDL
Team news: Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Ferland Mendy is the only injured player under the care of Real Madrid's medical team, as he continues to recover from a calf injury sustained in training last month. Therefore, he is expected to be the only player absent from the contest.
On the other hand, Chelsea may be without Mason Mount due to a recurrence of his abdominal issue, despite being eligible to return from a Champions League suspension for the first leg. Armando Broja (knee) and Cesar Azpilicueta (head) are still recovering, while Thiago Silva has traveled with the squad.
However, Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Noni Madueke, and David Datro Fofana are not part of Chelsea's Champions League squad. Although N'Golo Kante was absent from the squad to face Wolves, it was only a precautionary measure following his return from a hamstring problem. He is expected to return to the fold alongside Ben Chilwell.
Broadcast information: Real Madrid vs Chelsea
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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