• April 11, 2022
• Olaoluwa Nwobodo

Chelsea travels to the Santiago Bernabeu to try and salvage a tie that is all but impossible to salvage. Chelsea would need everything and then some, to go right to be able to leave Real Madrid with a UEFA Champions League semifinal ticket. Thomas Tuchel and his men can only do their jobs and hope for the best. Who does Tuchel trust to do said job though?

Goalkeeper: Edouard Mendy, especially after Southampton

Mendy kept a clean sheet against Southampton. It’s been a while since he kept one of those. A while for him anyway. Many were already calling for Kepa Arrizabalaga to start after the first leg, a call that Tuchel probably deemed a bit extreme. Mendy still leads all Champions League goalkeepers in clean sheets this season. With Mendy between the sticks for Chelsea, they still have a shot at a consecutive Champions League winners’ medal.

Defenders: Lessons learned means Rudiger-Silva-Azpilicueta partnership

Real Madrid got too much joy down Chelsea’s right flank for Tuchel to leave the lineup on that side as it was in the first leg. It’s unfair to only pour the blame on Andreas Christensen though because James was as useless defensively. Christensen’s speed, or lack thereof, meant that he had more of a problem against a speedy, tricky Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian winger had a field day at Stamford Bridge and that cannot be allowed to happen again.

Christensen did play well against Southampton, but it’s difficult to see him starting against Real Madrid a second time. Cesar Azpilicueta is the more likely candidate to start at right centerback. Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger are clear locks in the starting eleven. Chelsea would need to be more than excellent defensively to get the result they need against the Galacticos.

Midfielders: Jorginho is a must-start, James and Alonso on the wings

Having played well in the first leg and being one of few Chelsea players to stand up and be counted, Jorginho is a must-start against Carlo Ancelotti’s men. It’s difficult to give any midfielder credit when the midfield gets dominated, but it should be easy to notice the one guy who played well the day everyone else messes up. Jorginho would likely be paired with N’Golo Kante who, admittedly, hasn’t played well in the last two games. He has a good partnership with Jorginho though, and if Chelsea is to have a chance against Real Madrid, a Kante masterclass would be required.

Marcos Alonso had an excellent game against Southampton, opening the scoring in eight minutes. The Spaniard has played a lot of games this season. In fact, he has made the sixth most appearances for Chelsea, as well as played the seventh-most minutes in all competitions this season. James would be Alonso’s wingback partner on the right, surely you don’t need me to explain why.

Forwards: Copy and Paste from Southampton

Yes, Mason Mount is definitely going to start behind two strikers in the Champions League quarterfinal match. This would be best for Chelsea as Mount would be able to lead pressing from very effective areas on the pitch.

Expect Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to start in front of Mount. Werner scored a well-deserved brace against Southampton and looked sharper than he has all season. Havertz would start alongside him for obvious reasons
The question on everyone’s lips is can Werner’s Chelsea career be salvaged? Will it be?

Prediction: Mendy, Rudiger, Silva, Azpilicueta, James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Werner

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