Real Madrid v. Chelsea Predicted Lineups
| Competition | UEFA Champions League |
|---|---|
| Round | Quarter Final 2nd Leg |
| Kick Off | Tuesday 12th April 20:00 (BST) |
Having won the 1st Leg 3-1, few will be expecting Chelsea to come back and many bookmakers have them priced at 8/1 to qualify for the Semi-Finals. Real Madrid could be forgiven for fielding a weaker lineup but with comebacks becoming commonplace in Champions League football, we don't expect Carlo Ancelotti to allow any complacency to sneak into his squad.
Real Madrid Predicted Lineup
| Thibaut Courtois (GK) | Still one of the best goalkeepers in the world, there's little doubt that the Belgian will be in the starting lineup for the big games. |
| Ferland Mendy (LB) | With little real competition for the left back spot, another start for Mendy looks likely. |
| David Alaba (CB) | Only Courtois and the suspended Eder Militao have started more games this season and another start looks likely. |
| Nacho Fernandez (CB) | After picking up his 3rd yellow card in the 1st leg, Eder Militao is suspended for the match at the Bernabeu and Fernandez is the natural replacement. |
| Daniel Carvajal (RB) | With Lucas Vazquez expected to be in the starting lineup for this weekend's match against Getafe, it's likely that Carvajal will be back in the team for the UCL 2nd leg. |
| Casemiro (DM) | No other midfielder has made more tackles in La Liga this season and he'll play a crucial role in stopping Chelsea's attacking midfielders from having too much possession. |
| Luka Modric (CM) | Another player expected to be given a much needed rest this weekend, Modric is having another fine season allowing the likes of Vinicius Jr and Benzema to do their thing. |
| Toni Kroos (CM) | The midfield metronome, Kroos is benefiting from his retirement from international football and has made more passes than any other Real Madrid player this season. |
| Vinicius Junior (LW) | One of Real Madrid's standout players this season who will undoubtedly start against Chelsea and Reece James will have to be at his best to keep him quiet. |
| Karim Benzema (ST) | The star man will be looking to build upon his hat-trick in the 1st leg and is in the hunt for the Golden Boot. |
| Marco Asensio (RW) | Completing the Real Madrid lineup, we're expecting Asensio to start on the right but we'll be watching out for the Getafe lineup to see who's preferred between him and Rodrygo. |
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
| Edouard Mendy (GK) | Despite his mistake in the 1st leg to gift Benzema his 1st goal, there's no risk of him losing his place. |
| Cesar Azpilicueta (LWB) | Reece James is expected to start at Right Wing Back to try and match Vinicius Junior's Pace which means we're expecting Azpilicueta to move to Left Wing Back in favour of Marcos Alonso who's had a difficult season so far. |
| Anthony Rudiger (CB) | Since Frank Lampard's departure, Anthony Rudiger has added some real grit to Chelsea's defence. |
| Thiago Silva (CB) | Despite his age, Thiago Silva has had a stellar season and will need to be on top of his game if Chelsea have any chance of keeping Real Madrid out. |
| Andreas Christensen (CB) | We'll keep an eye on news of Christensen's fitness as he's expected to miss out on this weekend's trip to Southampton and if he's not fit, expect to see Azpilicueta move into the centre and Alonso given a chance out wide. |
| Reece James (RB) | Having recently returned from injury, James' return will be a huge boost to Chelsea's chances of turning this tie around and his pace will be crucial against Vinicius Junior. |
| Mateo Kovacic (CM) | It's between Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic to make the starting lineup and it's another case of seeing who starts against Southampton. We're leaning towards the energy Kovacic can provide and many Chelsea fans were disappointed not to see him start the 1st leg last week. |
| N'Golo Kante (CM) | 70% of the Earth is covered by water, the rest by N'golo Kante. |
| Timo Werner (AM) | The attacking midfield roles are perhaps the hardest to predict and who starts might come down to whoever is fittest. With Hakim Ziyech struggling with an injury, Werner provides a left footed option and the work rate required to put pressure on Real Madrid's defence. |
| Mason Mount (AM) | Mason Mount is another to have had a fine season and impress Thomas Tuchel. He hasn't played much in the Champions League this season but his creativity will be crucial if Chelsea are to turn around this 2 goal deficit. |
| Kai Havertz (ST) | Havertz has cemented himself in the starting lineup this season as one of the attacking midfielders and since Lukaku's loss of confidence, as Chelsea's number 9. |