Chelsea will be looking to find some success in the UEFA Champions League when they face Real Madrid in the quarter-finals tonight.
With Chelsea's poor form in the Premier League that has seen Frank Lampard appointed as their third manager of the season, the Blues remain competitive in the Champions League. A 2-1 aggregate win over Borussia Dortmund in the last round sent Chelsea through to the quarters, but they face a tough test against the current European champions.
Lampard's side is without a win in their last four games, with their previous result ahead of tonight’s clash a 1-0 loss to Wolves on Lampard’s return to the dugout. This is the third season in a row the two sides have met in the Champions League knockouts, with Madrid defeating the Blues 5-4 on aggregate on their way to the trophy last year.
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So, can Chelsea continue their run in the Champions League tonight? Let's take a look.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea score predicted by simulation
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Fernandez; Modric, Camavinga, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
We predict that the Blues could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kepa; James, Fofana, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Felix.
Playing away to the European champions was always going to be a stern test for Chelsea, but the Blues managed to ride the storm in the first half, with Madrid in full control. Lampard's side did well to soak up intense pressure from the hosts, and their hard work defensively paid off just after the hour mark when Raheem Sterling opened the scoring.
After a loose pass in midfield, Enzo Fernandez led a rare break forward for Chelsea. The Argentine found Joao Felix on the left who crossed the ball for Sterling in the middle, and the forward did well to finish past Thibaut Courtois to make it 1-0.
Despite their dominance, Madrid were struggling to break past the Blues' backline, and their wasteful play saw them trail. Carlo Ancelotti introduced Rodrygo with 20 minutes to go in an attempt to get back into the game, and the Brazilian had an instant impact as he helped level the score.
On the left, Rodrygo played a one-two with Luka Modric and fizzed a low cross into the box. Karim Benzema was on hand to control the ball and drill his effort past Kepa to make it 1-1 with 10 minutes to go.
All of a sudden, Chelsea were struggling, with Los Blancos breaking through the Blues' defence with ease as Rodrygo continued to cause problems. The pressure was immense as the chances kept coming, and the hosts grabbed the winner in the 90th minute to head into the second leg with a lead.
Chelsea were caught in possession as they advanced up the pitch, leaving plenty of space for Madrid to attack in behind. Benzema threaded a pass forward for Rodrygo as the Brazilian got on the wrong side of Ben Chilwell, and one-on-one with Kepa, the Brazilian fired into the far corner to make it 2-1.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Real Madrid 2-1 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Chelsea could fall to defeat in Spain, losing 2-1 to Real Madrid in the simulation. Despite going ahead, the Blues couldn't maintain their lead against an assertive Madrid side, but it wouldn't be the worst result in the world ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge.
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