Total over 2.5
Total over 2.5
Chelsea is in terrible shape. A team cannot win 6 matches in a row in all competitions while losing 4 of them. Even the emotional upheaval of Frank Lampard’s arrival as new coach did little to help the result.
Under the leadership of the legend of the club, the “aristocrats” played 3 matches in which they suffered 3 defeats. At the same time, they started to behave much worse in defense. In the first meeting with the Spanish giants, Chelsea allowed 2.3 xg, and in the final round of the Premier League with Brighton (1:2) – 2.9 xg. At the same time, Chelsea allowed the Seagulls to take 26 shots on target, their worst home total since 2003/04.
On the other hand, Real Madrid shows great football. In his last 5 matches, he won 4, including a 4-0 win over Barcelona in the semi-finals of the Spanish Cup. In terms of expected goals scored (xg = 2.16) and goals conceded (xga = 0.92), it ranks 1st and 3rd respectively in La Liga.
In the previous round against Cadiz (2-0), Carlo Ancelotti decided to give leaders such as Kroos, Modric and Vinicius extra time to recover. This will help them play more intensely.
I think open football is to be expected in this match. Chelsea are forced to rebound and open up, while Real Madrid are able to effectively use the space in front of the opponent’s goal.