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Amid a Premier League crisis, an interim head coach walkins in the door at Chelsea, seemingly on course for a season of footballing irrelevance. But they rise to the moment in the biggest of all competitions, reaffirming their status as London's continental powerhouse. It happened in 2012. It happened in 2021. Surely, though, lightning cannot strike the exact same spot for the third time in 11 years? You can find out Wednesday on CBS and Paramount+ when Chelsea travel to Real Madrid.

That is what Real Madrid will be thinking as they prepare to welcome a Chelsea side who, it is fair to say, look far worse on paper and on the pitch than the two that won the Champions League in such dramatic circumstances. Frank Lampard began his second spell in charge with a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, the same day that Madrid lost 3-2 to Villarreal in La Liga. Still, their focus has long since been on the Champions League, a match where they are overwhelming favorites. They surely won't blow it, will they? Here is how you can watch the match and what you need to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Wednesday, April 12 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
  • Location: Santiago Bernabeu -- Madrid
  • TV: CBS | Live Stream:  Paramount+
  • Tactical cam: CBS Sports Golazo Network
  • Odds: Real Madrid -143; Draw +270; Chelsea +400 (via Caesars Sportsbook)


Lineups

Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Modric, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.

Chelsea: Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Chilwell; Felix, Sterling

How they got here

Defending champions Madrid looked well set from the moment the balls dropped in the group stage draw and although they were defeated by RB Leipzig in matchday five, they had long since seemed set to top Group F, which they ultimately did by crushing Celtic at the Santiago Bernabeu in the final round of games. At the time, they appeared to have drawn one of the shortest straws in the form of Liverpool. 

Fifteen minutes in it appeared that Jurgen Klopp and his players were going to gain revenge for their defeat in last May's final but Madrid rallied in spectacular fashion, silencing Anfield with five goals in 46 minutes, including braces for Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema. The latter would score the only goal in the second leg, adding luster to an impressive win for the 14-time champions.

Chelsea staggered out of the blocks in the group stages and Thomas Tuchel was given his marching orders after a defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb. His replacement, Graham Potter, would lead the Blues to top spot however, winning home and away against AC Milan with goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in both games. It said everything about the turbulence at Stamford Bridge that their No. 9 was not even in the squad to face another of his former sides, Borussia Dortmund, who won 1-0 in the first leg thanks to a goal from Karim Adeyemi.

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However, the Blues rallied at Stamford Bridge, Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz scoring the goals that seemingly saved Potter's job. A month later, he is unemployed and Lampard will be the third man to take charge of a Champions League match for Chelsea this season.

Storylines

Real Madrid: Their 3-2 defeat to Villarreal might look like a setback on paper but the 4-0 win over Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final was perhaps more reflective of the sort of approach that Madrid will take on Wednesday night. Well behind in the La Liga title race, this is a side that is now picking and choosing its moments in the run-in. Carlo Ancelotti can trust that his veteran squad know what will need to be improved from the weekend to overcome Chelsea.

"We like to win and Madrid are a special club, the biggest in the world," said defender David Alaba. "This makes us work harder every day. Are we favorites? It makes no sense to talk about this, the goal is very clear, get to the semi-finals. You have to start tomorrow. I don't think Chelsea are scared, but we will do our best to impress them."

Chelsea: One does not have to look too far back, however, to find evidence that Chelsea can beat this side. Only two years ago the Blues swept to a 3-1 aggregate win over Madrid in the Champions League semifinals; there has been much turnover in the squad since but Lampard will still be able to call on trusted veterans of that tie including Mason Mount and Thiago Silva.

None may be more vital than N'Golo Kante, who excelled on his return to competitive action against Liverpool last week, his first game after seven months on the sidelines. Lampard opted to hold back his midfield dynamo from Saturday's defeat to Wolves and clearly has an eye on getting the most out of a player who could add world-class talent to this side.

Prediction

If Kante is able to play a significant part in this game then Chelsea can feel confident they will not be overrun in midfield. If that is the case they might just be able to hold Madrid at bay. PICK: Real Madrid 1, Chelsea 1