Chelsea travel to Madrid aiming to spark a phenomenal comeback in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
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Chelsea travel to Madrid aiming to spark a phenomenal comeback in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night. Real Madrid thrashed the Blues 3-1 in the first leg tie at Stamford Bridge and the defending champions now have a mountain to climb in order to go through to the next round. Karim Benzema was the architect of Madrid’s stunning away win as the Frenchman netted a hat-trick to help his side have one foot firmly in the semi-finals.
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It’s crunch time ?
? Pick four to progress…#UCL pic.twitter.com/ypTGpfvk5z— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 11, 2022
The Los Blancos are in stunning form having won eight of their last ten games across all competitions and Benzema has certainly been their star player. The 34-year-old striker is now finally out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadows and is seeking domestic and continental glory.
At stamford Bridge, Benzema netted two early goals courtesy perfectly-placed headers before capitalising on a defensive error to slot home into an empty net and complete his hat-trick, immediately after the restart. Meanwhile, Chelsea pulled one back through Kai Havertz, five minutes before the break.
Benzema now has 37 goals to his name this season and he is no doubt in the form of his life. Meanwhile in the last match against Getafe on Saturday, Ancelotti’s side secured a 2-0 win to retain their double-digit advantage over the chasing pack in the La Liga.
Apart from Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric are also in stunning form. Winger Vinicius has grown into one of the best wingers in world football, having scored 17 goals and registered 12 assists across all competitions this season. The 20-year-old Brazilian has been pivotal to Real Madrid and Benzema’s success.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s title defence is seemingly tattered after a catastrophic first leg loss, but Kai Havertz’ goal has at least given the Premier League side a slight glimmer of hope. After back-to-back defeats against Brentford and Real Madrid, Tuchel’s side responded pretty well, thrashing Southampton 6-0 on Saturday.
Tuchel could hardly have asked for a better warm-up for the trip to the Bernambeu, where they will have to pull off a feat that no English team has ever done before if they are to remain alive in the competition, win at the ground by at least two goals.
Real Madrid central defender Eder Militao will not be available for selection because of suspension while former Chelseaman Eden Hazard is sidelined with injury alongside Luka Jovic. Meanwhile Isco is still somewhat uncertain due to back problems.
Chelsea also have few injury concerns as Callum Hudson-Odoi suffered a setback in his recovery from an Achilles issue. Romelu Lukaku is also having achilles pain and is likely to start on the beach at Bernabeu. Defender Cesar Azpilicueta has tested negative for COVID-19 and is set to make the comeback.
Real Madrid possible line-up: Courtois, Carvajal, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Chelsea possible line-up: Mendy, Christensen, Silva, Rudiger, James, Kovacic, Kante, Alonso, Ziyech, Mount, Havertz.
The Champions League quarter-final fixture between Real Madrid and Chelsea will take place at the Santiago Bernabeu and it will kick-off at 12:30 am IST on Wednesday, April 13.
The match will be live streamed on the SonyLIV app and website, and the JioTV mobile app. Meanwhile football fans in India can also enjoy the action on TV networks, as the competition is telecasted on the Sony Ten network.
