Champions League: Real Madrid vs Chelsea verdict, predicted score, key stats and suggested bets
Frank Lampard at Chelsea 22 Dec 2019
Real Madrid and Chelsea meet in the Champions League knockout stage for the third successive year, with Los Blancos hosting the Blues in the opening leg of their quarter-final tie.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Champions League, Wednesday, April 12, Kick-off 8.00pm, live on BT Sport
Predicted score
Suggested bets
Real Madrid to win and over 2.5 goals
Correct score - Real Madrid 3-1 Chelsea
Real Madrid to score first
Key stats
Chelsea have kept one clean sheet from five games.
Chelsea are winless in four straight games.
Real Madrid have scored 13 goals in their last three games.
Chelsea haven't scored in 284 minutes of competitive football.
Team News
Real Madrid have just one player on the sidelines ahead of the Champions League clash as Ferland Mendy continues to recover from his calf injury.
Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos and Eder Militao were all rested during last weekend's defeat to Villarreal, although they're all expected to return on Wednesday.
Chelsea are likely to be without Mason Mount who has served his suspension but is now struggling with an abdominal issue.
Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Armando Broja remain on the sidelines while Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana have not been named in Chelsea's Champions League squad.
N'Golo Kante missed Saturday's defeat to Wolves but is set for a return. Ben Chilwell is also available for Frank Lampard.
Verdict
Having spent over £530million on transfers this season, a mid-table finish in the Premier League is hardly going to satisfy new owner Todd Boehly and his consortium.
With that in mind, winning the Champions League is certainly at the top of the agenda for caretaker boss Frank Lampard, who is looking to resurrect his managerial career.
The major problem for Chelsea is their inability to build a cohesive unit with the superstars they possess.
The Blues arrive in Madrid having failed to win any of their last four games. Worse yet, Lampard's men haven't scored a goal in 284 minutes of competitive football.
Their latest slip-up came away at Wolverhampton as the relegation-threatened side picked up a stunning 1-0 victory - limiting Chelsea to a single shot on target in the process.
Real Madrid also slipped up at the weekend, losing 3-2 against Villarreal - a result which effectively handed the La Liga crown over to arch-rivals Barcelona.
However, it's important to note that manager Carlo Ancelotti was prioritising the Champions League and rested a number of key players for the encounter.
Before last weekend's result, Los Blancos thrashed Barcelona 4-0 at the Camp Nou in the second leg of their Copa Del Rey semi-final. They also demolished Real Valladolid 6-0 in the league three days prior.
Real Madrid have no problems finding the back of the net and that could be problematic for a Chelsea side which has kept one clean sheet from their last five outings.
Bearing everything in mind, our recommendation is to back Real Madrid to come away with a commanding win.
Backing the hosts to win 3-1 in the correct score market should bring plenty of value, although Real to win and over 2.5 goals is also a good way of tackling this fixture in the betting markets.
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