A well-rested Chelsea begin their Women’s Champions League account at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as Real Madrid come to town.
The Blues enjoyed the weekend off after their WSL match with Manchester United was postponed due to scheduling issues.
A successful defense of his own WSL crown last season means Chelsea, now managed by Sonia Bompastor following the departure of Emma Hayes, were one of four teams to automatically qualify for the WUCL. Real Madrid, on the other hand, had to beat Sporting CP in two games – which they did comfortably – to advance to the group stage.
The women’s competition has retained a traditional group stage format for 2024/25, with Chelsea and Real Madrid paired in Group B with Celtic and FC Twente. The two sides facing each other in west London are expected to progress to the knockout stages, but Tuesday’s game is likely to have a big bearing on who tops the group.
Real Madrid have won seven from seven in all competitions to start the new season, while Chelsea have also maintained a perfect record.
here it is 90 minutes guide to Tuesday night’s Women’s Champions League match.
Head-to-head record between Chelsea and Real Madrid (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Chelsea |
Real Madrid |
|---|---|
|
Crystal Palace 0-7 Chelsea – 27/09/24 |
Real Madrid 1-0 Valencia – 04/10/24 |
|
Chelsea 1-0 Aston Villa – 20/09/24 |
AWAY Tenerife 1-4 Real Madrid – 29/09/24 |
|
Chelsea 9-0 Feyenoord – 07/09/24 |
Real Madrid 3-1 Sporting CP – 26/09/24 |
|
Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal – 25/08/24 |
Real Madrid 2-0 Athletic Club – 22/09/24 |
|
Gotham FC 1-3 Chelsea – 20/08/24 |
Sporting CP 1-2 Real Madrid – 19/09/24 |
|
country |
TV channel/live broadcast |
|---|---|
|
united kingdom |
DAZN UK |
|
united states |
DAZN USA |
|
canada |
DAZN Canada |
Chelsea may have enjoyed the weekend off, but their injury list is still quite long.
The hosts are again without Sam Kerr, who said last month he would not be in a rush to return from a torn ACL suffered in January. Sophie Ingle, Mia Fishel, Aniek Nouwen, Niamh Charles and Oriane Jean-Francois are also out for the Blues.
Lionesses Lauren James and Lucy Bronze are expected to start, while Mayra Ramirez could return to the XI and lead the Chelsea line after dropping to the bench for the Crystal Palace defeat ten days ago.
Predicted line-up of Chelsea against Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Hampton; Bronze, Buchanan, Bright, Lawrence; Cuthbert, Nusken; Rytting Kaneryd, James, Reiten; Ramirez
The visitors have far fewer injury concerns as manager Alberto Toril had the luxury of rotating his squad for Friday’s 1-0 win against Valencia.
Maelle Lakrar, Teresa Abelleira and Eva Navarro are among the players expected to return to Toril’s starting eleven at Stamford Bridge.
Veteran midfielder Melanie Leupolz left Chelsea for the Spanish capital in the summer, so will know her surroundings when she takes to the field on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid predicted line-up against Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Mass; Hernández, Lakrar, Méndez, Carmona; Leupolz, Beekeeper; Navarro, Moller, Caicedo; Ronda
These two teams played out a couple of tight games in the group stage last season, and we can expect to enjoy something similar on Tuesday night.
A new-look Chelsea have made a bright start to the season despite their injury problems, but Real Madrid will be full of confidence and ready to avenge their defeat at Stamford Bridge from January. They have been excellent at the start of 2024/25, and on Tuesday they were able to enjoy some great times.
The Blues, however, are capable of withstanding a dynamic Madrid and could once again overtake their Spanish counterparts in west London.
