Chelsea vs Real Madrid – Champions League Quarterfinals First Leg
Wednesday, April 12th
Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Current title-holders Real Madrid will be looking to continue their quest for another Champions League trophy on Wednesday when they welcome a struggling Chelsea side to the Santiago Bernabeu. The kick-off is scheduled for 3 PM ET. Los Blancos embarrassed Liverpool 6-2 across two legs in the Round of 16, while the Blues knocked out Dortmund. Find the Real Madrid vs Chelsea prediction below.
By no surprise, Madrid is a massive favorite here with -140 odds at Bovada online sportsbook. Chelsea, meanwhile, sits at +390. These two clubs locked horns in the quarterfinals last season as well, with Karim Benzema’s heroics propelling the Spanish outfit to an epic 5-4 victory on aggregate in extra time.
Repeat For Madrid?
With Barcelona currently 13 points clear at the top of the La Liga standings, you better believe Real is strictly focused on capturing another Champions League title. Sure, the Copa del Rey is still up for grabs, but Europe’s premier competition is arguably the most impressive piece of silverware in club football overall.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are surely in a good spot to at least get back to the semifinals. They showcased their abilities in the Round of 16, absolutely running riot on Liverpool in the opening leg at Anfield, courtesy of a pair of braces from Benzema and Vinicius Junior.
While Madrid lost 3-2 to Villarreal over the weekend, they always play well on home soil. Chelsea is not a side to be afraid of these days, especially after another managerial change.
Blues in Shambles
For some reason, Chelsea thought firing Graham Potter would be a game-changer. But Saturday proved it made no difference. The problem is this club has far too much dead weight and no true striker, despite spending boatloads of money across the last two transfer windows. Lampard’s second time in charge got off to a brutal start as the Blues were handed a 1-0 defeat by Wolves.
Once again, Chelsea couldn’t find the back of the net, a common storyline all campaign. They’ve now scored fewer goals (29) than games played in the Premier League (30). Just an absolute nightmare. To brighten things up, though, The 2021 UCL winners are performing much better in this competition.
After a 1-0 loss in the first leg to Dortmund at Signal Iduna, the Blues responded at Stamford Bridge with a 2-0 victory, finally showing some guts in the final third. The problem is, they’ve only won once in five games since then. It’s hard to imagine Chelsea knocking off Madrid in the quarterfinals, but who knows? Perhaps all this talent could finally put something together when it matters most. After all, this is the only hardware left to play for, and with them in the 10th spot in England, Europe isn’t in the cards in 2023-24. That’s unless the Blues win it all in May.
Injury News
Ferland Mendy is the only injury concern for Madrid. As for Chelsea, they will be without Mason Mount again, while Armando Broja and Thiago Silva are still dealing with knee issues. Broja is already out for the season.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea Prediction
I see no way Chelsea finds a result here with how they’re playing and being on the road in a hostile environment at the Bernabeu. Take that Real Madrid moneyline with the utmost confidence.
Quinn Allen is a journalist who specializes in writing sports betting previews. He holds a senior editor position at ClutchPoints. He has been contributing to Vegas Betting as a writer since 2022.