You know how the old saying goes: Real Madrid are like buses. You don't draw them for over two decades, then two come along in quick succession.
For years it felt like the Blues and Los Blancos were destined to avoid each other, bizarrely not clashing despite both clubs' prominence in the latter stages of Europe's elite competition in the past decade. Thomas Tuchel is facing a quick turnaround from Saturday's humbling loss to Brentford.
Chelsea needs a radically improved level of performance to repel the threat of a revitalised Real Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti in a glamour tie under the lights at Stamford Bridge.
READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel sends Real Madrid demand to Chelsea fans after shock Brentford defeat
Team News
Fresh injury concerns permitting after Brentford that we are unaware of, Tuchel has the blessing of a close to fully fit squad heading into such a major game. Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Reece James all started Saturday's game from the bench, with Jorginho not featuring at all.
Christian Pulisic was given a full rest after returning late from international duty, starting six of the last eight games. Trevoh Chalobah also missed Saturday's squad, but Tuchel confirmed this was a selection call rather than any new injury.
Tuchel's approach
The formation change against Brentford to a 4-3-3 took some by surprise, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek anchoring a midfield with N'Golo Kante and Mason Mount. Given how poorly things went on Saturday, one suspects Tuchel will revert back to his tried and trusted 3-4-3, the formation that won him the Champions League.
Though there is room for variation with this setup, we saw Mount begin as one of the inverted wingers last year but drop into central midfield as Kante shifted higher up to increase the number of bodies pressing Real Madrid. Kante had a major hand in turnovers in the second leg, two leading to the goals that got Chelsea to the final.
Without Ben Chilwell, we have seen the more frequent use of a four-man defence, but given Real's wide threats in this game, the best bet would be some variation of a three-man backline starts on Wednesday.
The Oppo
The Real Madrid eleven Chelsea will square up against on Wednesday will not be radically different to the one faced almost 12 months ago. Eight of the eleven who started in Saturday's La Liga win over Celta Vigo started in the second leg last May.
There will be no Eden Hazard return after Real confirmed their travelling squad without the injured Belgian on Monday afternoon.
The biggest threat is undeniably Karim Benzema, who scored a superb volley against Chelsea in the first leg last year. Despite being 34, Benzema is operating at an astonishing level this season. His two goals at the weekend take his goal tally up to 34 in all competitions from 35 appearances.
He has seven goals in eight Champions League appearances. Last month, his second-half hat-trick against PSG unravelled the French giants with two immaculate finishes demonstrating his deadly instinct inside the box.
Behind Benzema for goals is Vinicius Junior, with 16 goals and 10 assists for the season. The 21-year-old Brazillian has started to show his high potential, dominating the left side of Carlo Ancelotti's front three.
This season, Ancelotti has not veered away from his 4-3-3, and who can blame him? Real Madrid is 12 points clear of second-placed Barcelona at the top of La Liga with eight games remaining.
The Lineup
There are a few personnel decisions Tuchel has to make to increase the intensity and quality of the performance after the dismal Brentford showing.
Hopefully, Christian Pulisic has shrugged off any jet lag to face the opponent he caused much chaos against last year. The American is also coming into goalscoring form, netting in both legs against Lille in the last round and scoring three for his nation last week.
Reece James is back and looked fresh coming off the bench at the weekend, and I expect him to start in his favoured right wing-back role. Chelsea are more productive when James is on the pitch. The English international has contributed to 11 Premier League goals from only 17 appearances this season.
The final major alteration comes in the centre of midfield. Kante and Jorginho ran the show against Real in 2021, but Mateo Kovacic is a must start here.
The £45m man has had the best season of his Chelsea career, and against his former club, his piercing runs from deep can hopefully open up the pitch and allow Chelsea to find gaps to exploit in transition.
Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Mendy, Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, James, Kante, Kovacic, Azpilicueta, Mount, Havertz, Pulisic
