Breaking down Chelsea’s potential UCL quarterfinal opponents

5. Porto

Pros: Porto is the minnow of the competition that everyone will want to draw next round. No offense to them but they simply aren’t on par with the remaining teams even with their victory over Juventus.

Chelsea won’t want to underestimate any opponent but if it comes to Porto, they will surely be considering some rotation in the match to stay fresher for the Premier League. There just isn’t much to fear about them.

Cons: That being said, if Dortmund has the potential to be a trap game, Porto screams trap game. They already caught Juventus off guard, faded power that they may be. They defend soundly and catch their opponent on the break, both of which could be easily exploited against this Chelsea side that struggles to create goals and plays an extremely high line.

Two legs means the best team is likely to advance regardless, but if Porto could make it a slog in the first leg, they can make it an upset in the second no matter who they draw.

6. Real Madrid

Pros: Zinedine Zidane is a great manager for Real Madrid but he’s failed to recapture the magic of his first stint. His teams lack a real identity or outlet compared to others in Europe and that has seen them struggle throughout Zidane’s second stint. They aren’t far behind in La Liga on paper, but in practice they have little to no chance of closing the gap there. Even against Atalanta who they more or less beat soundly, they failed to impress.

There is also, of course, the constant drama of the club that probably weighs them down more than it lifts them up. If Barcelona’s woes weren’t so much more entertaining right now, there would be plenty of talk on Zidane’s future, the numerous transfer flops, and their lack of any one player to get anywhere close to the mantle Cristiano Ronaldo left vacant. Real Madrid is a wounded animal there for the taking.

Cons: Almost all of those pros were true in at least two of Zidane’s Champions League wins. Dortmund may have grit to keep going in matches but Real Madrid perfected the art. They could be down 2-0 on away goals after the first leg and win the second 3-0. They simply cannot be counted out no matter how poor they have been relative to their own standards.

Any tie against Real Madrid is sure to come with some pot stirring too. There are the former Chelsea players at the Spanish club but don’t be surprised if several rumors started to break in the buildup about other Chelsea players making the jump. True or not, they will be there to unsettle players and it’s at least something to consider as Real Madrid tries to win the battle off the pitch before stepping on to it.