Real Madrid start their revenge against the injured champion
The Madrid team wants to extend their European euphoria against a Chelsea in institutional crisis and authoritarian executioner in 2021 in the semifinals
MADRID, 5 Apr. (SportsFinding) –
Real Madrid visits the Stamford Bridge stadium this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) to start the first leg of the 2021-2022 Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea, defender of the title and immersed in an institutional crisis, in a match in the one that the Madrid team will want to prolong their euphoria in the competition after eliminating the French PSG.
Almost a year after the ‘blues’ ended the dream of the ‘Decimocuarta’ with great authority after drawing in Madrid (1-1) and winning in London (2-0), the Madrid team is facing the start of its particular revenge against a rival less ‘fearsome’ than on that occasion and with problems unrelated to sports due to the sanction of the British government for the links of the still owner Roman Abramovich with Vladimir Putin.
Thus, initially, Stamford Bridge was not going to have the public again, but finally the authorities have changed their minds and the fans will be able to cheer on the champion, who hopes to find again in his intensity the way to hurt a Real Madrid that never he has beaten him and that he offers some doubts at the moment and that he hopes to have the lesson learned from Paris and last year.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team once again demonstrated their idyll with the Champions League with their comeback against PSG, which had them ‘ko’ for 150 minutes. A magical aura took over the Whites’ fiefdom to catapult the team into a new vibrant European night led by Karim Benzema and the mission now will be to continue with that good work and extend that momentum and enthusiasm.
Real Madrid has just shown in Balaídos that it is not at its peak, but it got three vital points in its fight to conquer LaLiga Santander and necessary after the debacle of the Clásico. Thus, he maintained a wide cushion for a final stretch of the season full of highly demanding games in which his aspirations will be played out in the two competitions in which he is still alive and which will have his next stop against Thomas Tuchel’s men.
The Bridge will test the performance of a white squad that seems to show fatigue and the accumulation of games due to the few rotations of a Carlo Ancelotti, whose presence in another of his old stadiums remains doubtful due to the coronavirus. In Vigo, he didn’t give too much rest and the main question is whether he will put more energy into Valverde in a 4-3-3 that looks more like a 4-4-2.
The trio formed by Casemiro, Kroos and Modric is not as fine as before, except for the Croatian, and the help of the Uruguayan could be key to reinforcing an area ‘devoured’ last year by N’Golo Kanté and Jorginho and the frenetic pace imposed by Tuchel.
In addition, Dani Carvajal should be the right back after being a substitute against Celta, while the duo formed by Vinicius, who is not in his best stretch of the year, and Benzema, who has proven to be an essential piece for the good performance of the team and that he has chained six games seeing the goal in which he has scored 10 goals. The ‘9’ will be the threat to the powerful line of three local central defenders led by Antonio Rüdiger.
CHELSEA WANTS TO ‘CHARGE’ AGAIN TO REAL MADRID
In any case, Chelsea arrives at this first leg of the quarterfinals in the midst of a club crisis due to the sanctions against Abramovich and with the uncertainty of what will happen in the nearest future. A complicated situation that until this weekend had not been transferred to the pitch when the ‘blues’ fell resoundingly (1-4) against Brentford, a defeat that cut their winning streak of six consecutive games.
With his confidence and morale shaken, the current champion of the competition, Lille’s executioner in the round of 16, crosses Real Madrid’s path again, although now he will begin his task at Stamford Bridge, his solid fort where he has left the goal to zero and has prevailed in the last six Champions League games, his ‘bullet’ of the season since in the Premier League they are 14 points behind City.
Tuchel only has Chilwell confirmed, although Hudson-Odoi, due to injury, and Christensen are doubtful. Thus, everything indicates that he will remain faithful to his scheme of three central defenders, with captain Azpilicueta as the head of the defense, accompanying Rüdiger and Chalobah, with a midfield commanded by Kanté and Jorginho and the quality in attack of the dynamic Havertz and Pulisic, good tests for Militao and Alaba.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
CHELSEA: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Rüdiger; James, Kanté, Jorginho, Alonso; Kovacic, Havertz, Pulisic.
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Vinicius, Asensio and Benzema.
–ARBITRO: Clément Turpin (FRA).
–ESTADIO: Stamford Bridge.
–TIME: 21.00/Movistar Champions League.