Two Champions League winners lock horns in Stamford Bridge! It’s time to check our Champions League odds series, starring our Chelsea-Real Madrid prediction, pick, and how-to-watch guide.
The Blues are still finding it hard to find wins lately. Under player-turned-manager Frank Lampard, the Blues are still winless. Chelsea hopes to snap its six-game winless run by performing better here in the Champions League.
Real Madrid is enjoying themselves of late. Their four wins in five games this April resulted in 14 goals and four clean sheets. Their La Liga battle against Villarreal is the only loss so far this month, which ended in a 2-3 scoreline. Real holds a 2-0 lead in the first leg and they hope to maintain that lead as they defend their Champions League crown.
Here are the Chelsea-Real Madrid soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Champions League Odds: Chelsea-Real Madrid Odds
Chelsea FC: +185
Real Madrid FC: +140
Draw: +250
Over 2.5 Goals: -120
Under 2.5 Goals: -102
How to Watch Chelsea vs. Real Madrid
TV: CBS, Univision, Univision NOW
Stream: Amazon Prime, fuboTV, Paramount+, ViX+
Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Chelsea Can Beat Real Madrid
Chelsea is 11th in the Premier League, slipping from the top half of the English top flight. Chelsea has been on a downward spiral in the Prem, which is far removed from their third-place finish last season. Chelsea hopes to get better in this tournament, where they have been brilliant.
The Blues’ season has been very inconsistent. They have fired blanks in four of the last five games. The Blues also had a lead in 13 minutes against the Seagulls, but Brighton fired back two goals from Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso.
Frank Lampard returning to the Chelsea managerial seat definitely puts pressure on the gaffer as they hold this game at Stamford Bridge. In Chelsea’s nine games in the UCL, they have put up 12 goals and seven assists and tally 15.0 total shots, 5.0 corners, and 5.4 shots on target per game. Lampard will have to make some tactical changes to match or exceed these numbers, as Chelsea is also decent on the defensive end. The Blues are making 17.8 tackles, 9.6 interceptions, and 13.9 clearances while securing three clean sheets.
Armando Broja is still nursing his cruciate ligament rupture. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Mudueke, and David Datro Fofana will not be eligible to play in the Champions League while Ben Chilwell is suspended.
The Blues will be relying on Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling, and Mykhaylo Mudryk to push the pace and score the goals. Enzo Fernandez and N’Golo Kante will command the midfield while Reece James and Marc Cucurella will serve as fullbacks.
Why Real Madrid Can Beat Chelsea
Last year, Los Blancos knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League with a 5-4 win on aggregate. This year, Real Madrid sits in second place in La Liga. Aside from the UCL, Real wishes to add another silverware to its trophy cabinet. The Vikings have already captured the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Championship trophies this season.
Real Madrid cruised past Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey semi-final after being down 1-0 in the first leg. However, Los Blancos was humbled by Villarreal, 2-3, in Spain’s La Liga. Real Madrid bounced back with 2-0 wins over today’s hosts in the first leg and against Cadiz in the Spanish top flight.
The recent win for Los Blancos will bring huge amounts of confidence from that as they press ahead at the business end of the season. Real Madrid is known to have an abundant number of attacking options. In the Champions League alone, they have nine different scorers, led by Vinicius Junior who has six goals in the UCL. Karim Benzema has four while Rodrygo and Marco Asensio have three goals each.
Regardless of how and who Carlo Ancelotti will put on the pitch, Los Blancos have one of the best players in the world in Karim Benzema. The 35-year-old striker has 14 goals in 19 games played in La Liga. Despite some nagging injuries, the Ballon d’Or winner has not slouched on the pitch and is putting on another remarkable season again.
With the struggling form of the hosts, this bodes well for Real as they have been putting in 17.6 total shots, 10.3 successful dribbles, and 5.7 corners per game while possessing the ball at a 57.2% rate in nine games in the Champions League. Los Merengues looks to add to their 23-goal and 15-assist tally in the UCL.
Luckily for Real Madrid, there are just two missing players for the team. Ferland Mendy is absent as he deals with his muscle injury while goalkeeper Luis Lopez is still in training camp. Daniel Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, and Eduardo Camavinga are still at risk of suspension as they each have four yellow cards.
Final Chelsea-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick
With a poor run of form and a very chaotic roster, Chelsea is still finding its identity under Frank Lampard. Despite their dominant run in the group games, the former champions are just too much to handle. Back Real Madrid to bring home the bacon.
Final Chelsea-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick: Real Madrid (+140), Over 2.5 goals (-120)
The post Champions League Odds: Chelsea vs Real Madrid prediction, pick, how to watch – 4/18/2023 appeared first on ClutchPoints.
