The second legs of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals get underway this week as Real Madrid host Chelsea and Bayern Munich face off against Villarreal, in which the two Spanish clubs recorded victories in their respective first legs last week.
Chelsea face an uphill battle on Tuesday night following their 3-1 defeat at home to Madrid last week, with the current trophy holders at risk of being knocked out, while Bayern suffered a surprise defeat away to Villarreal in their first leg.
Former Real Madrid striker Michael Owen has given his verdict on the action in both games ahead of another huge round of fixtures, as the semi-finals await.
A Karim Benzema hat-trick handed Real Madrid a huge advantage in their bid to make the semi-finals of the competition following their 3-1 defeat of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week and they will be keen to produce a similar performance to secure their progression here.
But the Blues aren’t completely down and out yet and know their worth following last season’s tournament victory, while they also knocked out tonight’s opponents on their way to lifting the trophy. However, Owen predicts the tie to be the end of the road for Chelsea in Europe this season.
He told BetVictor : “That was a brilliant result for Real Madrid in London. There’s only one man to talk about, Karim Benzema! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen two better headers in the same game. He’s in the form of his life and is such a talisman for this side.
"Chelsea had chances at Stamford Bridge and probably should have scored more. I can see them scoring in Madrid, but Real are so experienced and will do enough to go through. 1-1.”
Can Chelsea overturn their 3-1 deficit to Real Madrid tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Elsewhere in the quarter-finals is Bayern Munich’s second leg tie with Spanish underdogs Villarreal, and the German champions will once again have to perform at the Allianz Arena if they wish to make it through, hoping to produce the same result as the one which crushed Red Bull Salzburg 7-1 in the previous round.
But Unai Emery’s Villarreal will take confidence from last week’s 1-0 defeat of the German giants and will be fully aware of what’s in store for them as they head to the Allianz, but so does Owen, who has predicted the Spaniards to fall short here.
He said: “What a result in Spain that was for Villarreal. If anything, they should have won by more. I just fear they are going to regret some of those missed chances. Bayern are a different animal at home and cruised to the win over Salzburg in Munich in the last round. I don’t see this being anywhere close to as emphatic, but I fancy Bayern. 2-0.”
Real Madrid simply have to avoid defeat against Chelsea to progress, while the Blues will need to win by three goals should they wish to avoid taking the tie to extra time, although a victory by two goals will do exactly that.
In Munich, Bayern must win by at least two goals to progress to the semi-finals, while Villarreal must simply avoid defeat of any kind should they achieve their dreams of creating history and going one step further in this competition.
Coming up on Wednesday night are two more quarter-final second legs, where Liverpool hold a 3-1 advantage over Benfica ahead of their tie at Anfield, while Man City travel to Atletico Madrid having won the first leg 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
