Real Madrid vs Chelsea: UCL Quarterfinal, 1st Leg Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

For the third consecutive season, Real Madrid vs Chelsea, facing off in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. And like all good trilogies, the sides go into this tie level.

Match Details:

• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
• Date: Wednesday 12 April
• Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT
• Referee: François Letexier (FRA)
• VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)

Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Match Preview:

Both teams have won the European title in the recent past and will be looking to secure an early advantage in the first leg and inch closer to booking their place in the semi-finals.

Los Blancos, who have won the Champions League a record 14 times, will be eager to add to their tally and secure their place in the semi-finals. Manager Carlo Ancelotti, who has won the competition four times with AC Milan and Real Madrid, will be looking to guide his side to victory over Chelsea in their quarter-final tie.

Real Madrid are currently second in La Liga. But the league title race seems to be over as they are 13 points behind the league leaders Barcelona. Ancelotti's men are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Villarreal. They will be eager to bounce back with a win in the first leg.

Real Madrid have their eyes set on the Champions League title. And, they have an impressive home record in the competition, having won their last five matches at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, it won't be that easy a task given the quality of their opposition.

Meanwhile, visitors Chelsea, who won the Champions League in 2021, will be hoping to repeat their success and reach the semi-finals of the competition. The Blues have had a disappointing season so far. But winning the UCL can surely help them end it on a high.

The Blues will be looking to build on their recent 2-1 win on aggregate over Borussia Dortmund. The return of N'Golo Kante from injury will be a major boost for the visitors as they head into this encounter. They are heading into this encounter on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Wolves under the leadership of caretaker manager Frank Lampard.

Chelsea will need to be at their best to overcome a formidable Real Madrid side. But they will be confident of causing an upset. The last encounter between the two teams was in the quarter-finals last season. The Blues managed to win 3-2 at the Bernabeu, but Real Madrid ended up progressing to the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate scoreline, ending the Blues' hopes of defending their Champions League title.

Team News:

Real Madrid:

Left-back Ferland Mendy remains Real's only injury absentee but, as the team's only natural player in his position, Carlo Ancelotti has had to get a little creative with his replacements. Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga or centre-back Nacho Fernandez would be the leading contenders.

Camavinga was among the names rested during the 3-2 loss to Villarreal, with the likes of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric expected to return to the starting lineup as well.

Chelsea:

N'Golo Kante was left out of the squad for the defeat to Wolves as Frank Lampard confessed the Frenchman's fitness is being managed. In other words, this fixture took priority, and Kante should start here.

Mason Mount has served a European suspension but could miss out through injury, having aggravated his abdominal issue during training before Wolves game, although he was back in training on Monday.

Thiago Silva is also back in training but may not be risked just yet, while Cesar Azpilicueta is still recovering from his nasty head injury. Benoit Badiashile, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Noni Madueke and David Datro Fofana are all out of the squad.

Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Head to Head:

Real Madrid and Chelsea are facing each other in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the third consecutive season - the two teams have emerged victorious on one occasion each.

Chelsea have lost only one of their seven matches against Real Madrid in Europe - the lowest loss percentage of any team that has faced Los Blancos at least five times.

Predicted Line-ups:

Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Nacho; Kroos, Modric, Camavinga; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius

Chelsea predicted lineup (4-3-3): Kepa; James, Fofana, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Kovacic, Fernandez, Kante; Sterling, Havertz, Felix

RMA vs CHE: Fantasy XI

Courtois, James,Militao, Alaba,Chilwell, Kroos, Modric, Fernandez, Benzema, Vinicius, Felix