Chelsea vs Real Madrid: UCL betting guide and tips

I wish I had the same sense of anticipation that I did ahead of last year’s second leg matchup between these two European giants, but this Blues side doesn’t have half the heart or talent that squad did. It’s also incredibly devoid of vocal leadership apart from Thiago Silva, especially so on the touchline. That tends to be the difference between good and bad managers; the ability to lead and communicate a game plan in difficult circumstances.

And while Frank Lampard will always be a legend in west London, he doesn’t have the tactical ability to see the team through this blip. This was obvious after his first go-round as manager, but for some reason Boehly needed to see it again. The vibes around Stamford Bridge won’t improve if results don’t either.

Official odds (via FanDuel as of April 16)

Chelsea ML: +185

Real Madrid ML: +145

Draw: +240

Over/Under: 2.5 (-118/-104)

My Chelsea picks:

Being blinded by fandom is a terrible affliction for gamblers and I have a feeling my season record and profitability would be much improved if I had acknowledged this earlier in the campaign. Betting against Chelsea this season must have made many people insane amounts of money, so please leave your stories under this article if you have them.

I hope that fading the Blues continues to be a successful strategy this week. Give me the aforementioned Real Madrid ML at +145 odds and the visitors to win either half at -144. Finally, I’ll give our beloved club some love and take the home team to score over 0.5 first-half goals at +116 odds. If Lampard and the boys have any chance of turning the tie around, they’ll need to come out of the gates firing. An early goal would do them, and now my pocket book, a lot of good.

Will CFC make a stunning comeback against Real Madrid?