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Chelsea at Real Madrid predicted XI: A historic meeting in Madrid

By Anthony Gatt

SEVILLA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 2: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League match between Sevilla v Chelsea at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on December 2, 2020 in Sevilla Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
SEVILLA, SPAIN - DECEMBER 2: Christian Pulisic of Chelsea during the UEFA Champions League match between Sevilla v Chelsea at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on December 2, 2020 in Sevilla Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 17: Ngolo Kante of Chelsea and Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Chelsea FC and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge on March 17, 2021 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 Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 17: Ngolo Kante of Chelsea and Joao Felix of Atletico Madrid battle for the ball during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match between Chelsea FC and Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge on March 17, 2021 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 Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Reece James (No. 24) Right wingback, England

Reece James will return to the starting XI after being on the bench at the weekend and just like every other game this season, he will play a huge role in the quest to find some goals. The formation Tuchel plays and the opposition the Blues are up against will give them a huge advantage in the attacking phase. It’s up to the wingbacks to set up the attackers if and when a chance arises.

Jorginho (No. 5) Central midfielder, Italy

I’ve been hugely critical of Jorginho as of late because of him getting caught out in possession a couple times. But with Mateo Kovacic being out with injury, Jorginho really needs to step it up and lock down that position. Real Madrid’s midfield might outclass Chelsea’s in experience and quality, so it’s up to Jorginho and the player beside him to outwork them to try and cancel that out as best as possible.

N’Golo Kante (No. 7) Central midfielder, France

We need to see peak N’Golo Kante on Tuesday night when up against the likes of Luka Modric, Casemiro and possibly Toni Kroos, who may not start as he is returning from injury. All those players I mentioned, Kante must match their work rate to ensure that the Blues do not get caught out in the middle of the park. Kante and Jorginho have played really well together this season and here’s hoping they can elevate that partnership when playing a team who is so gifted in the midfield like Real Madrid.

Ben Chilwell (No. 21) Left wingback, England

Ben Chilwell as of late has been absolutely spectacular, chipping in with goals and assists and defensively putting a shift in for the complete 90 minutes. Just like what I talked about with James, it’s going to be up to the fullbacks to create the chances for the attackers. That said, they need to come back and defend when needed to. Let’s hope that Chilwell can sustain this workload for 90-plus minutes and if he does, the Blues have a chance to leave Madrid with a positive result.

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