With the defeat against Brentford (4:1) in the previous round of the Premier League, Chelsea ended a streak of six consecutive victories in all competitions.
Chelsea took the lead against the "bees", and then by the end of the match there was a complete deluge, so it will be interesting to see how the team reacts tonight (21) in the first quarter-final clash of the Champions League against Real Madrid.
At "Stamford Bridge", they wish for the same result as last season when these teams met in the semi-finals. Then Chelsea won 2:0 in the second leg at their stadium and advanced to the final with a total score of 3:1, later winning the Champions League.
The driving force behind that Chelsea triumph was Ngolo Kante, man of the match in both matches against Madrid. The Frenchman could also play a significant role in this double-header, while on the other side all eyes are on Karim Benzema, who played a spectacular match in the second leg of the round of XNUMX against PSG and practically single-handedly launched the team into the top eight on the Old Continent.
"There are no favorites in the Champions League. Look at our double match against PSŽ, they were the favorites after the first game. "Chelsea is a great team, and we will try to get a good result in London", believes Benzema, who brought victory to Real over the weekend against Celta.
They are cautious in Madrid. The memories of last season are fresh.
"Chelsea is a strong team, the current champion. They haven't changed much since last year when we played in the semi-finals. They are physically strong, they play with high intensity, they have fast players", is the assessment of Real Sporting Director Emilio Butragen.
"Merengues" showed in the round of XNUMX against PSŽ that they should never be written off.
"A big challenge. We know what kind of match awaits us. It will be exciting," Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said.
It will be interesting in the second match tonight. Villarreal welcomes Bayern Munich and dreams of another surprise, after sensationally eliminating Juventus in the round of XNUMX. If anyone knows how to play for results in knockout matches, it is the teams coached by Unai Emery.
"The Villarreal team is led by Emery, who has a lot of experience on the international stage. They are experienced, we will have to figure out how to beat them. I am confident of success in this double match", believes the coach of the Bavarians, Julian Nagelsman.
The goal of the "yellow submarine" is an active result ahead of the second leg in Germany.
"We are playing the first match at home and our goal is to have an active result in the second leg. "Bayern is the favorite, they are a great team, we have to enjoy these moments," said Emery.
The Bavarians will once again have at their disposal the Canadian Alfons Davis, who is returning to the team after a three-month break due to heart problems and minor surgery.
The German giants are unbeaten in the Champions League this season and are clear favorites against the reigning Europa League winners, but coach Julien Nagelsmann is cautious:
"When you hear coach Villarreal Emery's statement, you see that the quarterfinals are a bonus for them. This means that they have already exceeded expectations and will be completely relieved. Such a team, with such an experienced coach, can be very dangerous," said Nagelsman
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