Chelsea face Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final this week and thanks to that 1-1 draw in the first leg, this tie hangs on a knife-edge.
The Blues were easily the better side last week, outplaying Madrid in almost every area of the pitch and had it not been for some poor misses and a world-class goal from Benzema, Chelsea might have already had one foot in the final.
The Premier League side know what to expect from their Spanish opponents on Wednesday and according to Pat Nevin, two major battles could help determine the outcome of this second leg.
Nevin told Chelsea’s official website: “Real mirrored our result with their 2-0 win against Osasuna, but both managers had more than one eye on this game throughout. Right now, I can’t wait to see how the teams shape up, but the midfield battle in particular will be riveting.
“We rested N’Golo Kante and Jorginho while Toni Kroos and Luka Modric had their feet up at the weekend instead of playing any of the 90 minutes in Madrid. It underlines just how much importance both managers place on that midfield tussle.
“Chelsea had the best of that area in the 1-1 draw last week, but that will only serve to drive Casemiro and co. this time. You don’t get a sniff at a midfield berth in this tie unless you are a truly world-class player, so Mason Mount will fit in nicely as usual.
“Creativity is also going to play a huge role in this one too. Every Chelsea fan will have spotted that Eden Hazard started Madrid’s last outing, as well as having a cameo appearance in the first leg.
“We know better than anyone else exactly what he can do, even if he isn’t necessarily 100 per cent fit yet. Karim Benzema we discovered, well we knew anyway, is a quality goal scorer, so anyone who can provide even a half-chance for him has to be a danger.
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“For all that they have superb quality, the first half last week showed that Zinedene Zidane was even more concerned with the opposition than Thomas Tuchel was. I will be surprised if Zizou decides to try the three central defenders again this time, after the way his defence performed in that first half.
“They almost always play with a back-four and as such, they will be more like their old selves if they start with that defensive line.”
Thomas Tuchel made sure that players like Casemiro, Kroos and Luka Modric did not get to play their natural game in the first leg and his own players implemented this tactic to perfection on the pitch.
This time around though, Zidane will know exactly what’s coming so he is sure to devise a plan to play around the high-intensity game that Chelsea played in the first leg.
Unfortunately, the Real Madrid manager does not have too many options on the bench to fall back to, especially in that midfield area so he can only hope that his old warhorses have the experience in them to not be caged for a second time.
As far as creativity is concerned, both teams have that in abundance but Chelsea’s relatively younger side could put help tilt the tie slightly in favour of the English side.
