Chelsea taking on Real Madrid is perhaps the most intriguing tie at the Champions League quarter-final stage. Between the two European powerhouses, 15 Champions League, or the formerly named European Cup, trophies have been lifted.
Albeit 13 of them have come from the Spaniards, either way, it is one of the so-called glamour ties of the competition. Interestingly, it's a repeat of last season's semi-final.
Back then, Chelsea came out 3-1 winners over the two legs, with Thomas Tuchel leading the west London club to their second-ever Champions League crown. In truth, the Blues made Los Blancos look rather ordinary in the last four of the tournament, but Tuchel will be guarding against complacency as they face a different beast this time around.
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Sitting top of La Liga after 30 matches played, bar nothing short of a miracle, Real will have the Spanish top-flight trophy back in their hands come the end of the season. Their comfortable lead at the summit of the table would not have been possible without the form of Karim Benzema.
The 34-year-old striker is showing no sign of slowing down despite being in the final few years of his career. Benzema has bagged 24 goals in 26 matches in La Liga this term, sitting comfortably at the top of the league's scoring charts.
Benzema was on fire at the weekend as the Frenchman scored a double in Real's 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo, despite there being some slight fitness concerns regarding the centre-forward in recent weeks. The brace for Benzema saw him score his ninth and tenth goals in just six matches in all competitions.
His red-hot form for Los Blancos should come as a warning for Chelsea, but it definitely will not come as a shock, especially to Thomas Tuchel. During the German's time in charge of Paris Saint-Germain, he described Benzema as massively underrated.
"He's one of the most underrated players in the world," Tuchel said in September 2019. "He's top class, very difficult to defend against as he doesn't only play as a number nine. He goes wide, and he goes everywhere. He has a lot of quality and crosses well, and he's good at headers."
The Chelsea players will be fully aware of what Benzema offers Real Madrid as well. Under 12 months ago, the French striker was in tremendous form for the Spaniards in the first-leg of the semi-final. The former Lyon man found himself in a good position in the box. He controlled the ball perfectly before producing a trademark volley, firing it past Edouard Mendy.
The finish touch and finish was no shock to those who have watched Benzema over the years. His threat is unavoidable. His movement is so intelligent that it makes up for his lack of pace. As the classic cliché goes: He's in the right place at the right time.
Even in the second-leg of last season's tie, where Real Madrid looked so ordinary, Benzema still posed a threat to Chelsea and threatened to get in behind the Blues' defence on a couple of occasions. Fortunately for Chelsea, they have the experienced head of Thiago Silva to deal with the intelligent movement of Benzema.
Silva will have to be at his brilliant best on Wednesday and in the return leg a week later to contend with the striker. Like Benzema, albeit at opposite ends of the pitch, Silva lacks speed now but makes up for it with his expert positioning, something he will rely on to be able to cope with the Real Madrid attacking players.
There are set to be key battles all over the pitch between Chelsea's and Real Madrid's players. N'Golo Kante vs Luka Modric, Christian Pulisic, or Mason Mount, vs Ferland Mendy or Dani Carvajal. Benzema versus Silva, though, could be the main event of the evening.
