Chelsea christen this season’s UEFA Champions League semifinals with a trip to the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano on Tuesday when they’ll seek an early advantage over hosts Real Madrid. The west Londoners are targeting a 2021 double in the Spanish capital after knocking Atletico Madrid out of the tournament earlier this season. Los Blancos have also proved their pedigree against Premier League opposition having dumped Liverpool out in the previous round.
Real and Chelsea will meet under UEFA conditions for the first time since 1998 when a Gus Poyet goal clinched that year’s Super Cup to Stamford Bridge. It’s a surprise this will be their maiden Champions League encounter, however, given each club’s prevalence in the competition.
What TV Channel is Real-Chelsea on?
Two of Europe’s major powers prepare for a long-overdue meeting under competitive conditions, with Tuesday’s kick-off airing on CBS and TUDN from 3 p.m. ET. You can live stream UEFA Champions League matches on fuboTV.
How to Watch Real Madrid vs. Chelsea
When: Tuesday, April 28
Where: Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, Madrid, Spain
Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: CBSSN, TUDN
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
For Real, Tuesday’s clash represents a first visit back to the Champions League semi-finals since the club won its 13th European crown in 2018. Zinedine Zidane has since left and returned to deliver them back to the final four, while Chelsea are making their first appearance since 2014.
Eden Hazard was only in his second season at Stamford Bridge when the Blues were ejected by Atletico that year. The Belgium star is now in his sophomore year in Madrid and hoping to have a greater impact against his old club having returned from injury at just the right time:
Eden Hazard is back in the squad for Real Madrid's game vs. Real Betis.
It looks like his dreams of facing Chelsea in the UCL are coming true 🥺 pic.twitter.com/ucxfi5Czxz
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 23, 2021
Hazard came off the bench for a late cameo as Real drew 0-0 at home to Real Betis on Saturday. The stalemate extended the club’s unbeaten streak to 17, though it may concern Zidane to have seen his side settle for a third goalless game in four outings. Federico Valverde was absent over the weekend and will miss the visit of Chelsea after testing positive for the coronavirus. Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Ferland Mendy also missed the Betis game due to injury, though the latter pair look likely to return in time for Tuesday:
⏱️ Race against time ⏱️
Real Madrid might get two key players back for Chelsea 🙏
Zidane 🗣️ "We hope to have both Kroos and Mendy with us on Tuesday. We'll see tomorrow."
— Goal (@goal) April 24, 2021
Chelsea’s only notable injury concern is Mateo Kovacic, who will be blocked from his own Real reunion almost three years after he left Los Blancos. Thomas Tuchel’s men squeezed past Porto in the quarter-finals despite losing the second leg 1-0. The Blues have kept three clean sheets in as many games since then (2W, 1D), including a 1-0 win over West Ham United that stretched their relentless streak away from home and cemented them at fourth in the Premier League:
Thomas Tuchel becomes the 1st @ChelseaFC Manager ever to remain unbeaten in his 1st 1️⃣0️⃣ away games in charge
8 wins
2 draws
14-3 Aggregate score pic.twitter.com/k1OQeANyDh— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) April 24, 2021
Real have failed to win only two of their last nine matches at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano (7W, 2D), and their progress past Liverpool was earned thanks to a 3-1 home victory in the first leg. Avoiding a similar fate on Tuesday will be Chelsea’s chief priority as they chase a third Champions League final appearance, going up against the most successful club in the competition, who are eyeing a 17th trip to Europe’s grandest stage.
