Defending European champions Chelsea will host 13-time European winners Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2021/22 season. Both teams faced each other in the semi-finals last season, and Chelsea won the tie by a scoreline of 3-1. However, things have been a bit different this season as Chelsea have been unable to keep the same consistency. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are on the verge of winning another league title. Let us look at some of the stats that will show their performances in the Champions League so far.
Chelsea defeated French champions, LOSC Lille, in their Round-of-16 tie by an aggregate scoreline of 4-1. With these four goals, the Blues have taken their overall goal-scoring tally to 17 goals, with an xG rate of 14.83. In return, they have only conceded five goals and kept five clean sheets in the competition.
Chelsea are one of the highest passers of the ball in the competition this season. Thomas Tuchel’s men have attempted 4,884 passes, and 4,363 of them have been successful. The above viz shows that the Blues have successfully delivered 132 of 213 passes attempted in the final third of the opposition. This is one of the highest success rates, and Chelsea create a lot of threats while going forward.
The above map shows all the 110 shots attempted by Chelsea. They have hit the target 44 times, scoring 17 goals. Of these 110 shots, 74 were attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box, with 38 on target. All the goals were scored from inside the opposition’s penalty box, including five from inside the 6-yard box. Chelsea players have scored a few goals from the centre of the goal and are dangerous on set-pieces.
Christian Pulisic will return to the team after missing the weekend’s clash against Brentford. Reece James is also fit and could straightaway come into the wing-back position. Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic are expected to return to the midfield.
Real Madrid came from two goals behind to defeat PSG by an aggregate score of 3-2 in the last round of the competition. The Los Blancos have scored 17 goals with an xG rate of 15.35. In return, they have conceded five goals and kept four clean sheets. The above viz shows that Real Madrid average more than three counters per 90 minutes. They are one of the best counterattacking sides and create threats while going forward. Chelsea have attempted ten counterattacks fewer than their opponents.
Real Madrid have attempted the second-highest number of shots in the competition so far. They attempted 134 shots, and 50 of them were on target. A total of 73 shots were attempted from inside the opposition’s penalty box, and 31 of them were on target. From the above viz, we can observe that Carlo Ancelotti’s men attempted more shots than their opponents from outside the penalty box and scored three goals.
Both teams are among the best in Europe and will look to take advantage in the first leg. They have a solid defence and the ability to score goals. The tie is expected to bring a lot of excitement to the fans, and both teams will look for qualifications for the next round.
