Chelsea have travelled to Spain looking to topple an apparently insurmountable 1-3 first-leg deficit against the La Liga leaders, Real Madrid.
The Blues had a woeful time in London despite dominating large parts of the game, with individual errors costing the team big time.
A Karim Benzema hattrick against a solitary Kai Havertz strike means the odds are stacked against Thomas Tuchel’s boys.
But we have seen crazier things in the Champions League in the years gone by and the London Blues will look to fly off the blocks and try to pin Los Blancos back from the get-go.
CHELSEA TEAM NEWS
Romelu Lukaku is absent for the clash due to an Achilles issue while Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkley will also miss out.
Cesar Azpilicueta has been passed fit after testing negative for the Coronavirus and is in the squad.
PREDICTED CHELSEA LINEUP vs REAL MADRID (3-4-2-1)
DEFENCE
Edouard Mendy had a howler in the first-leg but Tuchel has full faith in the usually reliable custodian. He will start in goal in the Chelsea lineup.
The three man backline is expected to comprise of the trio of Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.
Azpilicueta has a chance to be recalled to the Chelsea lineup.
MIDFIELD
The physically dominant and marauding Reece James is likely to slot in at right wing-back despite Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s admirable display against Southampton in the weekend.
The similarly adventurous Marcos Alonso will feature on the left flank in the Chelsea lineup.
The central midfield could comprise of N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, with the duo running the show against the Saints in the 6-0 rout.
Jorginho might get the axe if Tuchel decides on a gung-ho approach from the start and we could indeed see a more expressive and free flowing football from the Blues in that case.
ATTACK
Timo Werner was superb against the Saints but Madrid will pose problems of a different kind. We could see Christian Pulisic return to the side on the left while Mason Mount is likely to be stationed on the right in the Chelsea lineup.
Kai Havertz has nailed down the role up front and he is set to reprise the same later today.
