HE real Madrid He is the opponent that all teams want to avoid. Champions. No other club has the emotional control required in the most important competition. But in the 2022/2023 edition, the road to ‘The Fifteenth’ for whites became even more complicated. They will face Todd Boehly’s ‘millionaire’ Chelsea in the quarter-finals, very different from the team they managed to beat last season at the Bernabéu, which will stage the first game.
team ancelotti there will be no ‘area factor’ neither in this one, nor in the winner of Manchester City – in the next draw where Bayern Munich awaits him. The draw table is unstable. On the one hand, some giant; on the other, an ‘Italianized’ road (Benfica – Inter and Milan – Napoli). In the round of 16, Real Madrid played the rematch at their home stadium, but it was their spectacular performance at Anfield in the first leg that gave them a nice draw against Liverpool.
Third in a row with Chelsea
Chelsea has become a regular rival of Real Madrid in recent years. They met in the semi-finals of the 2020/2021 season. The English team prevailed after a (1-1) draw at the Bernabéu and a 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge with goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount. Thomas Tuchel’s team beat Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final (0-1). both contestants They met again in the quarter-finals last season, exactly in 2021/2022 end.
This time, Ancelotti’s team prevailed only thanks to a head-to-head result with the team under his leadership. on the road, Kerim Benzema Hat-trick in 45 minutes this was only offset by Havertz’s goal (1-3). On the way back, Chelsea, which had a serious institutional crisis due to the departure of Roman Abramovich at that time, managed to reverse the situation with the goals of today’s Real Madrid player Rüdiger and Werner. But it almost always happened at the Bernabéu.
When Real Madrid looks dead, modric Rodrygo made a deft pass to the outside. He sent the goal into the net with a great first shot. This goal resulted in overtime, but anyone who knew the recent history of the team that won the most European Cups knew that the comeback goal was imminent. And it came in overtime due to Benzema’s work.
Chelsea: 650 million transfers
Chelsea, who were defeated at the Bernabéu last season, have little to do with the current season. In July 2022, American boss Todd Boehly bought the club and from there a big investment. The London team has become the top spender in European football since its arrival: around 650 million between the summer and winter markets.
Real Madrid’s rival paid an extra price for everything he bought. From Mijailo Mudryk (100m to get Shahtar from Arsenal) to Enzo Fernández (120m euros, most expensive signing in Premier), passing joao felix (on loan by Atlético for 10 million Euros for half season).
How is Chelsea playing?
These moves did not improve the performance of Graham Potter’s team, for which Chelsea also had to pay Brighton. In fact, this team is better than the ‘blues’ in the English league, tenth and far from Europe. The English coach usually bets on it. a 3-4-3 with highly developed burners Daggers in lanes, like Reece James and Ben Chillwell.
The distinguishing features of the current Chelsea are, rupture velocity and pressure after pause. As for the plan, Kepa, summoned by Luis de la Fuente, took ownership from Mendy. At the back, Fofana and Koulibaly are in form with Cucurella serving as the third centre-back. There he shone in the round of 16 against Dortmund, which Chelsea managed to beat at Stamford Bridge.
In the middle, former madridist Kovacic accompanies Enzo Fernández. A duo with great physical deployment and ball output. Above, with Havertz, Pulisic, Sterling, Mount, Mudryk, Joao Félix, Ziyech or Gallagher, the list of candidates is extensive. While not the goal Chelsea wanted, they are very relatable players without the ‘9’ reference after Lukaku and Werner’s departure.