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Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Tuchel looking to take Blues all the way in Champions League

After a positive 1-1 draw in Madrid last week, Chelsea will look to finish the job at Stamford Bridge.

When: Wednesday, May 5, 20:00 GMT

How to watch: BT Sport

Best bets

Half time/ Full time - Draw/ Chelsea at 9/2 (William Hill)

Karim Benzema to score anytime at 43/20 (Unibet)

Chelsea to win and both teams to score at 4/1 (bet365)

Will Real stick with a five at the back?

With Sergio Ramos missing for the first leg, Zinedine Zidane opted to go for a 5-3-2 formation with Dani Carvajal and Marcelo as wing-backs.

This decision was believed to be prompted by Chelsea's usual approach to play with five at the back and to match up against their opponents.

Zidane has never really been seen to use any formation other than a four at the back and it was a bold strategy implemented by the man who has now failed to beat Thomas Tuchel in five attempts.

Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane and Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel

It is yet to be seen whether he will stick with the formation he chose for the 1-1 draw in the first leg and it could potentially depend on the personnel available at his disposal. Interestingly, Zidane reverted back to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation against Osasuna at the weekend.

Ramos is expected to be fit after a calf problem which could be a huge boost given his experience and know-how. Other first-choice centre-back Raphael Varane is a doubt though after picking up a knock at the weekend.

Dani Carvajal, who started the first leg, as well as fellow full-back Ferland Mendy are expected to miss out. Marcelo, who was initially randomly chosen to count election votes in Madrid, is available for selection.

Sergio Ramos is set to return

Midfielder Federico Valverde has recovered from COVID 19 and will make the trip to London.
Chelsea are likely to be without Mateo Kovacic once again and Antonio Rudiger is a slight doubt due to picking up an injury late on in the first leg.

Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic were rested at the weekend and should start at Stamford Bridge.

Last three meetings:

Real Madrid 1-1 Chelsea (April 27, 2021)

An enthralling first half produced two goals in the first leg of this semi-final. Chelsea arguably deserved to win but could not find a second goal. 

Timo Werner had a wonderful chance to open the scoring but he shot straight at Thibaut Courtois from six yards out. Chelsea took the lead when a ball over the top from Antonio Rudiger was collected by Pulisic who kept his cool to fire past Courtois.

Karim Benzema then took the game to Chelsea. He had a long-range effort that hit the post before acrobatically volleying the ball into the net.

There were no clear cut chances in the second half as both sets of players seemed nervy. In the end, a 1-1 draw was the final score.

Chelsea 1-0 Real Madrid (August 28, 1998)

The last time these two sides met in a competitive fixture was 23 years ago in the UEFA Super Cup Final. Real Madrid had won the Champions League the previous season while Chelsea lifted the Cup Winners' Cup after defeating Stuttgart.

This was the first Super Cup that was contested over just one leg and it was held in Monaco; also for the first time. The Stade Louis II would become the permanent host of the curtain-raiser for the new season until 2014.
In a tight contest, the game was decided by a Gus Poyet strike with 83 minutes on the clock after Gianfranco Zola rolled the ball back to the midfielder.

Real Madrid 1-2 Chelsea (May 21, 1971)

These two giants met twice in as many days after the first leg of their European Cup Winners' Cup final ended in a stalemate.
This replay took place in Athens, as the initial meeting did, with Chelsea eventually leaving with the silverware.
Chelsea took a 2-0 lead through Peter Osgood and John Dempsey, however they knew that the game was not won yet due to the power of their opponents.
Madrid battled back but could only manage one goal in their comeback pursuit. Sebastian Fleitas cut inside and unleashed a shot with his right foot past the Chelsea goalkeeper with 15 minutes remaining.

Head-to-head:

Played: 4

Chelsea wins: 2

Drawn: 2

Real Madrid wins: 0

Chelsea goals: 5

Real Madrid goals: 3

The return to league action

Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League after a 2-0 win against local rivals Fulham. Thomas Tuchel was able to rotate his side with players such as Billy Gilmour and Kai Havertz getting a chance from the start.

Mason Mount's incredible touch and pass helped set up Havertz for his first of the game, slotting the ball past Alphonse Areola. He doubled his tally for the day following a one-two with Werner and also had a goal rightly disallowed for offside.

Chelsea's Mason Mount

The win strengthened Chelsea's grip on qualification for next seasons' Champions League and pushed Fulham closer to relegation.
Real Madrid remained two points behind title rivals Atletico after two late goals earned them all three points against Osasuna.
Eden Hazard started his first game since January and the former Chelsea man was only denied a goal after a fingertip save from the Osasuna keeper.

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard and Chelsea's Timo Werner

Eder Militao was also denied by the goalkeeper but got revenge in the 76th minute when he climbed to meet Isco's corner and put his side 1-0 up.

Casemiro then finished from a Karim Benzema pass, for a somewhat fortuitous second for Los Blancos to seal the victory.

Scoreline prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Real Madrid

Chelsea's form has been so impressive since Thomas Tuchel took over, only losing two of his games in charge. Their season is predicted to get even better by reaching the Champions League final.

Tuchel has his side organised and disciplined and the key match-ups in midfield could prove vital. Jorginho and N'Golo Kante along with Mason Mount seem to have formed a formidable partnership and their youth and enthusiasm could carry them to victory against the likes of the more experienced Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Following the 1-1 stalemate in the first leg, Tuchel will be able to name a similar line-up to the one in Madrid and with confidence high, his side are capable of beating a team that knows better than any how to get to a European final.

Goalscorer bets

Kai Havertz returned to form at the weekend and he will be vying for a starting spot, potentially at the expense of fellow German, Timo Werner.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man is 11/4 to score at any time with bet365.

Karim Benzema celebrates his goal against Chelsea

Karim Benzema is a big-game player and sits joint-fourth in the all-time Champions League scorers table with 71.

Real Madrid's striker is 43/20 to score at Stamford Bridge with Unibet.

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