Chelsea vs Real Madrid: Champions League semifinal storylines
Chelsea confirmed its place in a Champions League semifinal for the first time since 2014 on Tuesday. Thereafter, all that was left to do was wait. The Blues have known their potential opponents for a while now—they were to play the winner of Real Madrid versus Liverpool—they just had to get past Porto first. The Spanish giants went into Anfield with a 3-1 lead on aggregate and that’s how the tie ended.
The UCL semifinals are now set with Chelsea squaring off against Real Madrid for a spot in the coveted final. Interestingly enough, it’s the first time the European giants will meet for a competitive match in my lifetime. The two teams have played three non-exhibition contests against one another, the Blues boasting a record of two wins and one draw in those games. Despite not scrapping since the 1998 UEFA Super Cup, the two teams have a lot of shared history and storylines between them.
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Chelsea and Real Madrid are most famously linked through their players. Thibaut Courtois spent seven years as a Blues employee—though not always with the club—playing his part in two Premier League-winning campaigns. The shot-stopper’s dramatic exit left a sour taste in the mouth of those in London, so he’s not nearly as fondly remembered as his compatriot. His current Real Madrid teammate needs no introduction, he’s royalty in SW6.
Eden Hazard spent seven memorable seasons with Chelsea during his time in England. The Belgian winger joined shortly after the Blues’ heroics in 2012, departing after leading Maurizio Sarri’s men to the 2019 Europa League title. Hazard is often regarded as one of the club’s best ever players. He produced some magical moments in London over the years, so it’s a shame Stamford Bridge won’t be at full capacity to give the legend the hero’s welcome that he so deserves in his possible return. Hazard has had a rotten time during his two years in Madrid, picking up injuries left and right. He is back in training for Zinedine Zidane’s team though, so a return against the Blues is incredibly possible.
On the other side of things, Mateo Kovacic is someone Los Blancos know very well. The midfielder won everything under the sun in the Spanish capital. The Croatian was a 3x Champions League winner, 3x FIFA Club World Cup winner, 2x UEFA Super Cup winner, Spanish champion and Spanish Super Cup winner in Madrid. He came to Chelsea by way of the Courtois-to-Madrid deal. The Spaniards sent the Blues money plus Kovacic on a season-long loan during Sarri’s reign. Chelsea would go on to make that loan permanent a year later and the rest, as they say, is history. Kovacic is one of two players in Thomas Tuchel’s squad to play for both clubs. Marcos Alonso came through Real Madrid’s academy and made one senior appearance in 2010 before moving to Bolton Wanderers.
Tuchel is no stranger to Real Madrid either. His Paris Saint-Germain side took on the eventual Spanish champions twice in the group stage of the 2019/20 Champions League. The Parisians topped Group A thanks to a 3-0 victory and 2-2 draw against Los Blancos. Tuchel would go on to lead his side to the UCL final, whereas Madrid was beaten by Manchester City in the Round of 16.
The last—and most trivial—current connection between the two sides is a family tie. Chelsea’s new No. 1 goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, is cousins with Real Madrid first-choice left back Ferland Mendy. It’ll surely be the least discussed link, unless the latter slips a goal by the former, but it is a strong connection nonetheless.
dark. Next. Chelsea with half an eye on Liverpool and Real Madrid for semifinals
This is a highly anticipated match-up that supporters have been waiting on for years. Luckily, they won’t have to wait much longer as the first leg of the semifinal will be played on April 27th or 28th in Madrid. The two sides will reconvene for the decisive second leg on May 4th or 5th at Stamford Bridge.