MY ACCOUNT
When the draw for the Champions League quarter-finals was made, the clash between Chelsea and Real Madrid was one of the standout ties.
Pitting the reigning champions against a Los Blancos team responsible for knocking out Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16, pundits and fans alike were left anticipating two action-packed legs.
Despite some recent blips — Chelsea lost 4-1 to Brentford on Saturday and Real were humiliated 4-0 by Barcelona last month — both sides are enjoying strong campaigns.
Ahead of tonight’s first leg at Stamford Bridge, we run the rule over the teams expertly guided by Thomas Tuchel and former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti.
Domestic cruise control
It is worth considering that both sides will have had one eye on this contest since the draw was made.
Although Chelsea must be cautious of complacency, it would be a bit of a shock if they were to finish anywhere other than third in the Premier League, while Real have the title all but wrapped up with a 12-point advantage at the top of LaLiga.
The Blues were also comfortable in their last-16 triumph over Lille, prevailing 4-1 on aggregate, whereas Real were pushed close by PSG and required a stunning comeback win at the Bernabeu to progress.
Solid at the back
Overall, the two sides look pretty even on paper and defensively they are tough to separate.
Chelsea have shipped only 23 goals in 29 games in the league this term, with Tuchel’s playing style built around a robust back three.
As for Real, they have recorded 12 clean sheets in LaLiga this term and in David Alaba and Eder Militao, they have a reliable central-defensive partnership.
Between the sticks, former Stamford Bridge No1 Thibaut Courtois has hit form at the Bernabeu while Edouard Mendy is thriving in West London.
Midfield of dreams
In midfield, however, it could be argued that Chelsea have the edge.
Luka Modric starred in Real’s win over PSG but the Croat and Toni Kroos are not getting any younger and the trio including Casemiro have fallen flat at times this season.
It will be an intriguing battle in both legs but the Blues rarely get overrun when N’Golo Kante is involved, while Jorginho has been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons.
Real threat up front
In the final third, Real look the more dangerous.
Kai Havertz has carved himself out as one of the most exciting players in world football at Chelsea but both Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku continue to struggle for consistency.
The same cannot be said for Real.
Vinicius Junior looks like a star in the making and Marco Asensio has his moments but Karim Benzema has been their main man for some time.
The Frenchman is in red-hot form, having single-handedly led Real to victory over PSG in the second leg of their last-16 encounter with a pulsating hat-trick.
That took his total in the competition to eight goals, while he is also LaLiga’s leading scorer by some distance with 24 strikes.
Across the board, there looks to be little to separate these two European titans and it would be no surprise to see this quarter-final end up in extra-time after the two legs.
But in Benzema, Los Blancos could hold the key to a narrow victory.
