Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Champions League semi-final – LIVE!
Chelsea are through to the sem-finals of the Uefa Champions League, but standing in their way are the masters of the competition… Real Madrid.
Thomas Tuchel’s side saw off FC Porto 2-1 in the quarter-finals – a scoreline which did not reflect Chelsea’s dominance of the tie, with as spectacular injury-time bicycle kick from Medhi Taremi handing the Portuguese a 1-0 ‘away’ win in the second leg to jangle the nerves of the Blues late on.
As for Real, Zinedine Zidane’s LaLiga giants are not quite the force they once were with Cristiano Ronaldo spearheading them to three Champions League trophies in a row from 2015 to 2018.
However, Los Blancos eased past Liverpool 3-1 on aggregate in the last eight: the 3-1 first-leg win highlighted their attacking prowess, while the goalless second leg was a defensive masterclass at Anfield.
Real are also the most decorated team in European Cup history having lifted the trophy 13 times and have plenty of experience at this stage of the competition, while Chelsea are looking to win it for the second time after their 2012 triumph in Munich.
Tonight’s match will be played at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano given the current renovation works at the Santiago Bernabeu, so Chelsea will have to adapt to what is effectively a reserve ground for one of their biggest games in recent years.
With kick-off at 8pm BST, follow the Champions League semi-final on our LIVE match blog!
Live updates
Chelsea team news
As for Real, Sergio Ramos, Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy missed Saturday’s draw with Betis due to injury, though Eden Hazard could feature against his former club.
Real Madrid squad: Courtois, Lunin, Altube, Carvajal, E. Militão, R. Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Odriozola, Miguel, Kroos, Modrić, Casemiro, Isco, Arribas, Blanco, Hazard, Benzema, Asensio, Vini Jr., Mariano, Rodrygo
Chelsea team news
Mateo Kovacic will miss the first leg for Chelsea due to a thigh injury. Aside from the midfielder, Chelsea have a clean bill of health – though Olivier Giroud may come back into the squad at the expense of Tammy Abraham, who featured off the bench in Saturday’s win at West Ham.
Chelsea squad: Arrizabalaga, Rudiger, Alonso, Christensen, Jorginho, Silva, Kante, Abraham, Pulisic, Werner, Caballero, Zouma, Mendy, Giroud, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Chilwell, Ziyech, James, Azpilicueta, Havertz, Palmieri, Gilmour.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be televised on BT Sport 2 in the UK.
Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will be able to watch the match online via the website or BT Sport app.
Standard Sport prediction
Expect a cagey affair in the first leg given the quality of both defences. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the tie was decided by a single goal over two legs, so the first 90 minutes may be short on chances.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be televised on BT Sport 2 in the UK.
Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will be able to watch the match online via the website or BT Sport app.
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the first leg of this Champions League semi-final between Real Madrid and Chelsea.
We’ll have all the team news and build-up ahead of an 8pm BST kick-off…