Real Madrid vs Chelsea: How to watch on TV, stream online, Champions League

The Champions League returns next week for the quarter-finals with eight of the best teams in Europe fighting for the continent’s top club football prize. Incredibly, last month’s draw paired the two most recent winners - Real Madrid and Chelsea - together for the third year in a row.

In 2020/21 Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea knocked out Real Madrid on their way to the final in Portugal, where they beat Manchester City. The following year Real Madrid completed one of their famous comebacks to eliminate the Blues at the quarter-final stage.

This time around neither side has anything left to play for in the league so will be desperate to make their mark on the Champions League. For Real Madrid, retaining the trophy would extend their astonishing recent form in Europe’s elite club competition. Los Blancos have won the Champions League in five of the last nine campaigns and are one away from their 15th European Cup.

When does Real Madrid vs Chelsea start?

The Champions League clash between Real Madrid and Chelsea starts on Wednesday, 12 April 2023 at the following times:

How to watch Real Madrid vs Chelsea?

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Real Madrid vs Chelsea preview

Real Madrid

After last year’s La Liga and Champions League double, much was expected from Carlo Ancelotti’s side once again. But the exertions of last season’s extraordinary campaign, along with the disruption of a mid-season World Cup, have left Los Blancos far from their imperious best and they have failed to keep pace with Barcelona in La Liga.

But while they have failed to match the Catalans’ consistency in the league, Madrid have shown that they are more than a match for anyone in a one-off fixture. They demolished Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield in the previous round and will be confident of despatching a Chelsea side who are languishing in mid-table.

Chelsea

This season was supposed to be a time of growth and progress under new ownership, with hundreds of millions spent to fortify a squad that was recently crowned the best in Europe. But Graham Potter failed to find a cohesive system for Chelsea’s dazzling array of attacking talents and he was dismissed after last weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa.

Chelsea, then, are currently without a manager and the club’s ownership appears eager to bring in a third manager of the season fairly promptly. Surely this means that this disjointed manager-less side has no chance against the might of Madrid? Maybe not; the club’s two previous Champions League triumphs both came under the guidance of managers who joined the club during the season and steered an underperforming squad to glory. Can that pattern repeat itself this season?

Real Madrid vs Chelsea prediction

At this stage, with Chelsea frantically scouring Europe for an elite manager, it is difficult to know what to expect from the Blues at the Bernabeu. Whether or not they are able to bring in a new coach before Wednesday’s fixture, it is fair to assume that whoever is in charge will be looking to keep things tight in the Spanish capital to ensure they go into the second leg with their chances intact.

Expect a tense game, but Madrid should have the firepower to take a narrow first leg lead against a struggling Chelsea side.

Prediction: Real Madrid 1-0 Chelsea