‘Way stronger’ Real Madrid looking to avenge 2021 semi-final defeat against Chelsea – Inside Europe
Published 05/04/2022 at 12:13 GMT
Ahead of the Champions League quarter-final clash between holders Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid, who have won the tournament more than anyone, Pete Sharland gets in touch with Felix Martin from Eurosport Spain to get the lowdown on how Carlo Ancelotti’s side are doing and what the mood is like in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid Inside Europe
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In what was undoubtedly the tie of the quarter-finals, defending champions Chelsea were drawn against Real Madrid, the team with the most Champions League wins.
The first leg will take place in London on Wednesday with the return scheduled for the week after in Madrid.
It is, of course, a repeat of last year’s semi-final which Chelsea won on their way to lifting the trophy.
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Timo Werner of Chelsea, Raphael Varane of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid v Chelsea at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano on April 27, 2021 in Madrid Spain
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Ahead of the clash we got in touch with Felix Martin from Eurosport Spain to get his thoughts on the match-up.
How are Real Madrid doing?
Casting an eye over Real’s results reveals a positive season. The one blot of course, is the 4-0 thrashing at home against Barcelona in the Clasico.
Real remain top of the league, 12 points ahead of Barcelona who have one game in hand.
But the Clasico result looms large, plus the weekend just gone they barely scraped past Celta Vigo, relying on two penalties to get the 2-1 win (as well as missing a third).
“Real are not at their best moment, that's true,” Martin says. “But even if they are not at their best, they've won four out of their last five matches.
“And the Champions League is a whole different thing: we all saw what they did against PSG when nobody expected Real to make it to the quarter-finals.
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Luka Modric of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 20, 2022
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“I guess the team that should be worried are Chelsea after losing 4-1 at home against Brentford.”
Martin’s not wrong. Chelsea are a club that always have the ability to randomly implode. The hallmark of Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge is that they don’t do it twice in a row. It will be fascinating to see if they bounce back.
Is this Real team stronger or weaker than last year?
In the summer of 2021 most big football teams started spending as finances improved following the Covid-19 downturn.
But Real held firm. They only added Eduardo Camavinga for around €30m and David Alaba on a free. Obviously we now know that they were gearing up to go for Kylian Mbappe this summer.
So what should Chelsea fans make of this Real?
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Vinicius Jr.
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“I would say that this Real are way stronger, they're top of La Liga and look even stronger in the Champions League.
“Benzema is in great form and even if Vinicius isn't as decisive as he was at the start of the season, he is a nightmare for every left-back he faces.”
Who will be on the right-hand side?
Nine of Real’s first-team are pretty much nailed on at this stage. Former Blue Thibaut Courtois in goal, David Alaba and Eder Militao at centre-back, Ferland Mendy at left-back, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro in midfield, Vinicius Jr out on the left and Karim Benzema up front.
The two question marks are on the right. Dani Carvajal, once one of the first names on the team-sheet, has really struggled for form this season as well as suffering injuries. He and Lucas Vazquez are the toss-up at right-back. Further ahead of them Marco Asensio and Rodrygo have rotated with Vazquez even getting some playing time there as well.
So what will Carlo Ancelotti do?
“Following what Ancelotti has done recently we should expect both Asensio and Carvajal to be in the starting line-up,” says Martin.
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Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG)
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On Carvajal Martin adds he "had lots of problems facing Mbappé against PSG, and his level during the season has been quite disappointing.
“He is, without a doubt, Real's weakest point.”
What Is the general mood in Madrid about the tie?
So are Madrid feeling confident? Or are they worried?
“There are no doubts about Chelsea; they're the defending champions and a huge club in Europe,” says Martin
“But there were other teams like Bayern, City or Liverpool that were way more scary. I guess that Real will be motivated as well and will feel like getting their revenge after what happened last year."
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