Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd Leg Odds, Prediction

Edgar Chaput
April 17, 2023

The Blues, temporarily managed by former player Frank Lampard, put in an okay effort for a few minutes last week in the Spanish capital but still succumbed to a superior club, losing 2-0. Playing at home normally gives team’s a comforting boost, yet Chelsea has suffered disastrous results at Stamford Bridge this year.

Carlos Ancelotti’s message to the locker room should be clear: protect the lead and, if the opportunity beckons, increase it.

The Champions League odds have Madrid at +128, Chelsea at +191, +250 for a draw.

Real Madrid +119
Draw +293
Chelsea FC +178

Chelsea vs Real Madrid Betting Analysis

2021, when the London club last captured European glory, is starting to feel like a lifetime ago. It was certainly part of a different era of Chelsea football, back when Thomas Tuchel – now with Bayern – and a certain Russian owner who will go unnamed were at the helm. They fell at this stage of the competition last year, also against Madrid, but they put up a much better fight in the first leg. Los Blancos even had to fight back to win at Stamford Bridge in the second match. The last win at home was, incidentally, in this competition in early March against Borussia Dortmund.

We’ve waxed poetic about Real aplenty in our previous Champions League previews. They are the experts in this competition. They can have a subpar season in La Liga – as they currently are – yet still muster up continental magic to make a run to the final in Istanbul this June. With only La Copa del Rey and this tournament to concentrate on, anyone who stands in Madrid’s path is entering the danger zone. Let’s be frank, between this and the domestic cup, we all know what Real will be gunning for if they have lineup decisions to make.

Chelsea

Lord knows what Chelsea will do this summer to right the many, many wrongs at the club, but they have their work cut out for them. Lampard isn’t staying as manager, their free agency signings are costing an arm and a leg and not producing much, and they can’t score.

Joao Felix, Raheem Serling, Connor Gallagher, Kai Havertz…Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (yes, he’s on this team!). Nothing works. Look no further than the game over the weekend when they hosted Brighton. The latter’s lineup and organization have improved a bit over the past few seasons while the Blues have sunk. Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Wellbeck, and Solly March all had terrific chances in the early goings. When Chelsea scored off a lucky deflection in the 13^th minute, it looked like it would be a cruel day for the visitors, but they remained headstrong and levelled terms in the 42^nd through Wellbeck. Julio Enciso rocketed a brilliant strike from distance in the 69^th minute and that was all she wrote. Chelsea 1-2 Brighton.

Real Madrid

A return to domestic action after strong Champions League performances has not always been a good thing for Madrid this season. That changed when they tussled with Cadiz away from home this past weekend.

The hosts offered virtually no resistance. The fact that the game was tied at 0-0 at the break felt like a bad joke. Karim Benzema hit the post not once but twice, and several other juicy chances were squandered either by misfires or terrific keeper saves. Real would not be denied forever. Both Nacho (72^nd) and Marco Asensio (76^th) hit from distance to give the favourites a 2-0 lead. Even after the second goal, the visitors pummelled Cadiz with pressure, but there would be no more scoring. Madrid still trails Barcelona by nine points, but it served as a decent warm-up for this midweek clash.