The
Champions League quarter-finals continue this week, and it starts with
holders Chelsea heading to Real Madrid on Tuesday, before Liverpool and
Manchester City play on Wednesday.
The second legs of the quarter-finals begin on Tuesday as holders Chelsea
try to claw their way back from a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg defeat against
13-time winners Real - with Villarreal also in action at Bayern Munich.
Pep Guardiola's City - fresh from Sunday's exhilarating 2-2 draw against
title rivals Liverpool - are also off to the Spanish capital as they face
Atletico Madrid, taking a 1-0 lead into the second leg after last week's win
at the Etihad, looking to reach the semi-finals for a second consecutive
year.
Liverpool host Benfica at Anfield with one foot in the final four, after a
3-1 win in Lisbon last Tuesday, as they continue their push for an historic
quadruple, with one eye firmly on Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against City
on Saturday.
Make-or-break week for Chelsea
Chelsea face the monstrous task of becoming just the second team in
Champions League history to overturn a two-goal deficit following a
first-leg home defeat when they play at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
If they are unsuccessful in Spain, Chelsea's whole season rests on the
outcome of Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace at Wembley,
with the Blues comfortable in third and having no hope of a late title push.
Chelsea recovered well after back-to-back defeats to Brentford and Real by
thrashing Southampton 6-0 on Saturday, but head coach Thomas Tuchel still
feels a comeback is unlikely.
"We need nothing else other than a fantastic script," said Chelsea head
coach Tuchel on Monday.
"The task and challenge is incredibly hard and against who we play and where
we play. We're allowed to dream, it's sometimes important to imagine things
and dream about.
"It will not shift the focus, we will support our team, and we will try
hard. It's sports, and it's a game, and that's the beauty of the game, that
everything is possible always."
Are Chelsea at a 'huge disadvantage' vs
Real?
Tuchel believes Chelsea face a "huge disadvantage" in overturning their
Champions League deficit to Real Madrid as the Spanish side have been able
to make five substitutions throughout the season.
Premier League clubs have voted to reintoduce the rule of five subs next
season, but have only been able to use three domestically in this campaign.
"First of all, we wanted it more physical but we did not work hard or
intense enough in the first match," he said.
"Second of all, we face a huge disadvantage in terms of physicality because
Real Madrid has a whole year with five changes and we play the most
demanding league, we play the most matches throughout the season and
throughout 2022 so it is not always easy to play a physical game.
"We are a team that needs the physicality, the sharpness, the commitment and
the investment to be a special team. We could not implement that enough in
the last match.
"This was also due to their quality, their capacity to slow the game down,
to control the match by ball possession."
Opta stats: Ancelotti to join Pep and Jose
in CL history books?
Chelsea goalkeeper Édouard Mendy conceded three goals in the first leg
against Real Madrid, as many as he had in his previous 10 appearances in the
Champions League combined. His error leading to Real Madrid's third goal was
also the first one he has made in 20 appearances in the competition.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema (1) and Vinícius Júnior (4) have assisted each
other a combined five times in the Champions League this season; the most of
any teammate duo. Indeed, Vinícius Júnior's four assists for Benzema is also
the most from one player to another in 2021-22.
No Chelsea player has been directly involved in more Champions League goals
under Thomas Tuchel than Christian Pulisic (6 - three goals, three assists),
while the American also scored the Blues' only goal away to Real Madrid in
last season's semi-final.
Benzema has scored 11 goals for Real Madrid in the Champions League this
season, already the most by a French player in a single campaign in European
Cup/Champions League history. His 11 goals this season is as many as he had
scored in the previous two editions of the tournament combined (six in
2020-21 and five in 2019-20).
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is looking to qualify for the
semi-finals of the Champions League for the eighth time in his career; the
joint-most by a coach in the competition's history, along with Pep Guardiola
and José Mourinho (eight times).
In Tuchel's 16 games in charge of Chelsea in the competition, 40 per cent of
the goals they have conceded in the Champions League (4/10) have been scored
by Benzema. Despite only having played one leg, this is already the most
goals Chelsea have conceded in a knockout tie in the competition under
Tuchel (3).
Chelsea trail by two goals from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, while they
will have to equal their biggest margin of victory away from home in the
Champions League knockout stages to enforce extra time (won by two goals on
three occasions). They have only scored more than two goals away from home
in the knockout stages of the competition once previously, beating Liverpool
3-1 in 2008-09.
Real Madrid have progressed from nine of their previous 10 ties in the
Champions League knockout stages when winning the first leg away from home,
with their only elimination in this scenario coming against Ajax in 2018-19
(2-1 away, 1-4 at home).
This will be Chelsea's first ever game at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in
European competition, with last season's away game at Real Madrid being
played at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium. No English side has ever won at
the Bernabeu in the Champions League by more than a single goal, with Real
Madrid only losing three of the 12 games overall (W6 D3).
Real Madrid's 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge was their first victory against
Chelsea in European competition, having drawn two and lost three of their
first five such meetings. The last side to win both legs against Chelsea in
a Champions League knockout tie was Bayern Munich in the Round of 16 in
2019-20.
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