Real Madrid have a tough task ahead of them when they visit London to face Chelsea on Wednesday. With the club one game away from the Champions League final, what kind of line-up can we expect from Zinedine Zidane?
Conceding an away goal in the first leg could prove to be the deciding factor as we enter this game. The Spanish side will need to score, and most likely more than once, if they are to succeed in this tie. This will require the attack to be more cohesive than they were last week.
Real come into Wednesday’s match after a confidence boosting win over Osasuna at the weekend. This allowed them to stay in the race for the La Liga title.
Though the Blues will present a formidable front, Zidane knows from experience that his men believe they can win the tie.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid FYIs
Kick-off Time: 8:30 PM GMT, 5 May (Wednesday)
4 Players to watch in the UCL semis: go here
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Real Madrid
Team News: Chelsea Real Madrid
Form Guide All Competitions: Real Madrid DWDDW Chelsea WDWDW
TV in USA: CBS Sports Network
Odds: Chelsea 6/5 Draw 9/4 Real Madrid 5/2
The visitors will stick to their favoured 4-3-3 formation that will have Thibaut Courtois in goal. There will be a lot of reshuffling done to the defence as a few of the first-choice names won’t be available.
Sergio Ramos will come in and partner Eder Militao in the centre of defence. There are major doubts as to who the full backs will be. With Marcelo unavailable and Ferland Mendy likely to miss out, it will require Alvaro Odriozola to move to the left flank. On the right, it will be the experienced Nacho.
Getting Ramos back will allow Zidane to have Casemiro at the base of the midfield. It will be the experienced duo of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric along with the Brazilian here.
The boss might be tempted to go with Federico Valverde in place of the German should he be declared fit.
With Kroos, the Real Madrid midfield is a little slow and that could play into the hands of the hosts.
In attack, we will see Karim Benzema, Vinicius and Marco Asensio. Real Madrid will want the Frenchman to get on the ball more as he is the team’s primary attacking threat.
Getting the three attackers on the ball early and often is Los Blancos’ best chance of winning. Though they are underdogs, Zidane and his team are more than capable of turning the tide of this tie.
Predicted Real Madrid Starting XI Against Chelsea (4-3-3):
Thibaut Courtois, Nacho, Eder Militao, Sergio Ramos, Alvaro Odriozola, Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinicius