Chelsea vs Real Madrid
A place on Europe’s biggest stage of all – the Champions League Final – awaits the winner of this tie and it could well be a cracker!
As clubs go, they could not be more different.
One has reached two European Cup finals since being taken over by a billionaire some 18 years ago.
The other is the most successful club side in Europe with 13 European crowns to their name.
But, of course, that will count for very little when Chelsea and Real Madrid go head-to-head at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Chelsea have the advantage of an away goal following their first leg in Spain but, even though they are not a vintage Real side, Zinedine Zidane’s men can hardly be discounted given their pedigree and such is their desire to lift this trophy.
That means it’s all to play for in this Stamford Bridge semi-final!
Talking Points
Both teams warmed up in fairly convincing fashion at the weekend with home wins in their domestic leagues.
Chelsea, who are chasing a top four Premier League spot and have the FA Cup Final to come, despatched Fulham 2-0.
In La Liga, Real had to be patient to see off Osasuna, dominating but needing to wait until the 76th minute before Eder Militao broke the deadlock. Casemiro added a second four minutes later and Los Blancos got their deserved victory.
That meant Madrid are still in the title race in Spain – with four games to play they are just two points behind – although history suggests being crowned Kings of Europe is the title they crave the most.
Chelsea have a pretty much full strength squad to select from with the exception of ex-Real man Mateo Kovacic who has missed the last three weeks with a hamstring injury. While centre back Antonio Rudiger missed the weekend victory over Fulham with a facial injury, he is expected to play in this with a mask.
In Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea also have a manager who twice took on Madrid with Paris St Germain in last season’s group stage – his side won 3-0 in France before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to earn a 2-2 draw in Spain.
Real, who have played nine games in the last 29 days, are not so fortunate on the injury front.
Raphael Varane was replaced at half-time against Osasuna due to discomfort in his right leg and it has been confirmed he will miss the second leg.
Zidane will also be without key players Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal for the final weeks of the season.
On a different note, Sergio Ramos is expected to make the squad for the game at Stamford Bridge. Former Chelsea favourite Eden Hazard is back and Fede Valverde and Ferland Mendy are accelerating in their respective returns.
Marcelo will also be available despite having been selected to be part of a polling station in the Madrid Assembly elections.
So, big names on the big stage – get set for Champions League highlights.
History
These sides have only met four times in their history.
That’s perhaps not a surprise given Chelsea were not regular competitors in Europe until two decades ago.
What may surprise people is that Real have yet to defeat the west Londoners.
Their first meeting came in the 1971 European Cup Winners Cup Final when the sides drew 1-1 after extra-time.
The replay two days later in Athens saw first half goals from John Dempsey and Peter Osgood guide Chelsea to a 2-1 success to lift the trophy.
When Chelsea won the competition again 27 years later, they met reigning European champions Real in the 1998 UEFA Super Cup Final – again seeing off the Spaniards to lift the silverware courtesy of a Gus Poyet goal.
Real were managed that day by Guus Hiddink who went onto manage Chelsea twice in an interim capacity.
Of course, their fourth meeting was last week’s 1-1 first leg draw – their first ever meeting in the major European competition.
Betting Tip
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Chelsea vs Real Madrid | Over 2.50 @ 2.33 |
| May 6, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
The SBOTOP Champions League betting odds favour Chelsea in a big way.
Asian Handicap odds back them -0.50 @ 2.26, while you can opt for 1X2 Chelsea @ 2.05. Real, are tastily priced too – 1X2 @ 3.60 and Asian Handicap 0.00 @ 2.42.
Another draw – 1X2 – will pay out @ 3.25, while a re-run of last week – correct score 1-1 – is on offer @ 5.60.
That, of course, would lead to extra-time and I wouldn’t be surprised if this tie needs more than another 90 minutes to be decided.
It will be tight.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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