Chelsea learns its UEFA Champions League fate with Friday’s draw

Chelsea shocked the world last May when it defeated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to lift the second UEFA Champions League trophy in the club’s history. The Blues were seen as underdogs with the heartwarming redemption stories of Thiago Silva and Thomas Tuchel on their side. They were able to do the improbable and defeat one of the best well-oiled machines in European football, but this also put a target on the team’s back. Wins in the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup only increased the size of the bullseye as teams now hunt Chelsea down.

The Blues stumbled a bit in their initial title defense, finishing second in Group H to Juventus, despite thrashing the Italian giant 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. A 3-3 finish in St. Petersburg on matchday six saw Chelsea limp out of the group stages, but Tuchel’s men lucked out, drawing Lille in the Round of 16. The Blues easily tossed aside Les Dogues, 4-1 on aggregate, to kickoff the knockout stages. They learned their fate for the quarterfinals of the Champions League on Friday as the remainder of the competition was mapped out for the field.

Chelsea learned its UEFA Champions League quarterfinal fate on Friday morning

Chelsea may have lucked out in the initial knockout round, but the remainder of the competition will not be kind to the reigning Champions of Europe. The Blues will take on Real Madrid in the last eight in a rematch of last season’s Champions League semifinal. While the English side may have gotten the better of the Spanish giants last season, this will be a much tougher task. Los Blancos are led by mastermind Carlo Ancelotti, who has his men firing on all cylinders at the moment.

Real Madrid currently sits atop La Liga with a 10-point cushion between itself and all other title challengers. Furthermore, Los Blancos have all the momentum in the world on their side right now after Karim Benzema’s 17-minute hat-trick guided Real Madrid to a come from behind victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16. The Frenchman’s dazzling performance eliminated the competition favorites, who boasted the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar in attack. The Parisians undoubtedly looked the toughest team on the planet on paper, but came up short. Pair that momentum with the hunger to avenge last season’s loss to Chelsea and Real Madrid is in a good position to go toe-to-toe with the reigning UCL Champions in the quarterfinals.

If the Blues manage to get by the Spanish side for a second consecutive season, they have another tough draw waiting for them in the semifinals. Chelsea has been paired with the other English-Spanish contest on its side of the bracket in Manchester City versus Atletico Madrid. Suffice it to say, if Tuchel and his men want to repeat as Champions of Europe, they are going to have to defy the odds once again and repeat against two of the teams it took down last year. If the Blues are still alive after those two tough ties, they could presumably square off against another familiar face in the final with Bayern Munich and Liverpool still alive on the other side.

Chelsea is at a massive disadvantage in Europe’s premier competition right now as all of its home matches will be played without fans due to the sanctions currently put on the club. This means that, as things stand, Stamford Bridge will be empty on April 6 when Ancelotti’s squad rolls into the English capital. Regardless, football fans should never count out the Blues as long as Tuchel is on the touchline. If there is one manager in world football capable of defying the odds for a second consecutive season, it’s the German who has reached the last two Champions League finals.

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