Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Three things to look for in UCL semifinal

Chelsea's German head coach Thomas Tuchel (R) celebrates with Chelsea's German defender Antonio Rudiger after the English FA Cup semi-final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on April 17, 2021. - Chelsea won 1-0. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. (Photo by BEN STANSALL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

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LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 29: Thiago Silva of Chelsea and Giovani Lo Celso of Tottenham Hotspur battle for the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on November 29, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Justin Tallis – Pool/Getty Images) /

2. Set-piece aerial duel

This is a semifinal, so there’ll definitely be lots of fouls and free kicks, maybe even a penalty or two. It’s not going to be a pretty game, but it’s more than likely going to be an open game with lots of corners. Chelsea will need to be commanding in the air, and both sides have good reason to believe they have control of the aerial situation.

Ramos and Raphael Varane have won 79 percent and 70 percent of their aerial duels respectively. That’s a 75 percent win rate between them. They contest few aerial duels between them though, as they’ve won 2.8 and two aerial duels each in the Champions League this season. Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Thiago Silva have won the most aerials between them by percentage for the Blues, at 74 percent, 65 percent and 89 percent respectively. That’s a 76 percent success rate as a unit. Not just that, that’s also an average on 2.9 aerial duels per game between them, compared to 2.4 between the Real Madrid duo. This indicates that Chelsea perhaps has the advantage in the air.

Chelsea also has an exceptional header of the ball in Zouma, though that is something Tuchel has to consider carefully. Does he want to forfeit the benefits of having a Christensen or a Silva to get the benefits of having Zouma in the side? Not that he can get both things in Zouma. Zouma can definitely provide a key header that can change the game, but aerial duels are only one aspect of this game, though it may turn out to be a crucial aspect. Aerial duels will also be crucial because there’ll be a lot of long balls and a failure to deal with those could see the tie end in the first leg.

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