Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Preview, Team News and Predicted Starting Xi Ahead of UCL Cracker

• Chelsea are scheduled to host Real Madrid for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday night
• The Blues will head into the clash off their recent 4-1 heavy defeat against Brentford in the Premier League
• The tie will be a repeat of last season's Champions League semi-final clash when the two European heavyweights faced off
• At the time, Chelsea progressed at the expense of the La Liga side and went on to win the tournament

Chelsea will continue their Champions League title defence on Wednesday, April 6, when they take on Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

The clash comes just days after the Blues were humbled 4-1 by Brentford on Saturday, April 2, in what was a shocking result for Thomas Tuchel's charges.

Match preview

Chelsea have not faced any major hiccups in the Champions League this season and have shown a clear intent to successfully defend the crown.

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The west Londoners sailed through the group stages with ease to set up a meeting with LOSC Lille in the Round of 16.

They went on to hammer the French side 4-1 on aggregate to qualify for the quarter-final and crunch date with Real Madrid.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, finished top of Group D before staging a dramatic comeback to dump out Paris Saint-Germain in the knockout round.

Having suffered a heavy defeat to Barcelona in the El-Clasico before the international break, the La Liga giants bounced back to beat Celta Vigo 2-1 in their latest outing.

Team news and tactics

Chelsea will be without long-term absentee Ben Chilwell when they host Real Madrid, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is also a doubt.

However, they were handed a major boost in Christian Pulisic who resumed training earlier in the week.

Tuchel is expected to revert to his preferred 3-4-2-1 set up for the Wednesday night clash, with Andreas Christensen in line to form the Blues' three-man defence.

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In the Real Madrid camp, manager Carlo Ancelotti will be without three key players including former Chelsea hero Eden Hazard, along with Luka Jovic and Isco.

However, Thibaut Courtois, a former Chelsea player is expected to start in goal at Stamford Bridge.

Possible starting line ups

Chelsea

Possible formation (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Ziyech, Mount; Havertz

Real Madrid

Possible formation (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius

Chelsea backed to see off Real Madrid

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Michael Owen has made his prediction for the Chelsea vs Real Madrid Champions League cracker.

Chelsea are slated to host the first leg of the fixture on Wednesday night, April 6, at Stamford Bridge, with Owen backing Thomas Tuchel's charges to emerge victors.

According to the former Premier League striker, the west Londoners will hammer Real 3-1 to take a huge step towards qualification for the last four.