Why Chelsea should be worried about facing Real Madrid in the Champions League Quarter-Final
With the 2021-22 footballing season almost coming to an end, the debate amongst the fans has shifted to the question of who is going to win the Champions League.
Big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been knocked out of the Champions League race after disastrous performances by their respective teams in the Round of 16. It is now all down to the eight teams moving into the quarter-finals.
Bayern Munich, Manchester City, and Chelsea put up dominating performances and eased into the top-eight. Liverpool and Atletico Madrid knocked out Inter Milan and Manchester United respectively in the Round of 16.
There were two teams that shocked football fans with their performances. Former Serie-A champions Juventus were humiliated by Villareal, while Ajax slipped out of the Champions League against a steadfast Benfica by a narrow margin.
Real Madrid beat the mighty Paris Saint-Germain to reach the last-eight for the second straight season after consecutive eliminations in the Round of 16 previously.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Stage set for epic clash
With the quarter-final fixtures out, Real Madrid will be looking for payback as they face current champions Chelsea, who knocked out Real Madrid in the semi-finals last year.
Los Blancos have put up a great overall performance in the Champions League so far. Winning five out of their six games, Real topped the group table. The 13-time UCL champions were set to face PSG in the Round of 16.
With the Parisians having a 1-0 advantage in the first leg, thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s moment of brilliance in stoppage time at the Parc Des Princes, it was all set to be an entertaining 2nd leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
When Mbappe netted yet another goal in the first half, it was a strenuous task for Real Madrid as they were down by two goals on aggregate. But the turnaround came in the 2nd half of the game when Karim Benzema stepped up and netted a hat-trick in just 18 minutes, stealing the game away from PSG.
The France international scored his 309th goal for Madrid in all competitions, passing Alfredo Di Stefano for the third most in the club's history.
Real Madrid also stand atop the La Liga table with a 10 point difference with the second-placed Seville. Putting up a dominating performance in the league, Los Blancos have just lost two matches out of the 28 they have played so far this season.
Real Madrid's power-packed side
Even after their top defenders like Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane left the club, there have been a number of combinations in the defense, but no lack of confidence whatsoever.
Eder Militao, Nacho Fernandes, Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vasquez, and Marcelo have all contributed as per expectations. They have conceded the fewest goals per match in the Champions League and the second fewest in La-Liga. Meanwhile, Courtois has been in great form with the highest number of saves in the Champions League so far.
The midfield has been exceptional with the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Valverde, who have been regulars in the starting 11 and have been exemplary.
With Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. toying with their opponents' defenses, it is going to be an irksome task for Chelsea to stop Real Madrid.
Karim Benzema has been in red hot form in La Liga, topping the goals and the assist chart with 22 goals and 11 assists. He is also the third-highest goalscorer in the Champions League, whereas Vinicius Junior is the second-highest goalscorer in the Spanish league.
Chelsea have been in good form lately as they stand third on the Premier league table. History also favors the Blues empathetically as Real Madrid have never beaten Chelsea in the Champions league.
But it is not going to be an easy task for them to stop Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Ancelotti will be in for a reunion with his former club. He is one of only three managers to have won the Champions League thrice. After being pumped up thanks to the victory over PSG, it sure is going to be a nail-biter as Real Madrid side face the Blues for the sixth time.