Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid will face Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals
Real Madrid will be facing off against Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League, it has been officially confirmed after the draw took place in Nyom earlier today.
Los Blancos, the current holders of the Champions League trophy, cruised through to the quarterfinals after defeating Liverpool 6-2 (on aggregate) over two legs in the Round of 16.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were joined by AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Benfica in the last-eight stage of the tournament.
The draw for the quarter-finals was completely open, meaning there were no seedings and no country protection. It meant that clubs could be drawn against opposition from the same national association and teams they previously faced in the group stages.
And after the draw, it has been determined that Real Madrid will be taking on Chelsea in the quarterfinals.
The Blues made it to this stage of the competition after seeing off the challenge from Borussia Dortmund in the previous round.
However, coming up against Real Madrid will be a whole other proposition, as Los Blancos have not lost in the quarter-final stages of the competition since 2004 when they were eliminated by AS Monaco.
🔀 We'll face @ChelseaFC in the #UCL quarter-finals!
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 17, 2023
🏆 @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/NOcY8A95kD
Quarterfinals draw in full
QF1: Real Madrid vs Chelsea
QF2: Benfica vs Inter Milan
QF3: Manchester City vs Bayern Munich
QF4: AC Milan vs Napoli
Semifinals draw in full
SF1: Winners of QF4 (Milan/Napoli) vs Winners of QF2 (Benfica/Inter)
SF2: Winners of QF1 (Real Madrid/Chelsea) vs Winners of QF3 (Man City/Bayern)
The draw means that Real Madrid will go through a replay of last season’s UCL quarter-finals where they defeated Chelsea. And there is a possibility that there could be a replay of the semi-finals from last term as well, should Madrid beat Chelsea and City defeat Bayern.
The first legs of the quarter-final matches will take place on 11 and 12 April, with the returns scheduled for 18 and 19 April. The semi-finals will be on 9/10 and 16/17 May with the final on Saturday 10 June in Istanbul.
Real Madrid fans were dealt with a massive blow when star player Antonio Rudiger was left out of the squad against Real Valladolid, allegedly due to knee discomfort.
The injury sparked fears over his absence in the upcoming Copa Del Rey semifinal against Barcelona.
However, according to a report from Sergio Quirante, Rudiger’s knee injury is not thought to be serious. It appears the decision to leave him out of the squad against Valladolid may only be a precaution, with the defender set to undergo ultrasonic tests tomorrow.
Rudiger, whose injury scare came just 48 hours before Real Madrid’s big game against Barcelona, has been a stellar success in the club’s backline this season.
The German international has emerged as a real leader at the back, using his experience and authority to good effect. Although Real Madrid’s defence has left a lot to be desired this season, Rudiger has been one of the bright sparks.
His potential absence, therefore, could serve as a major blow for Los Blancos, in their hopes to reach the Copa Del Rey semifinal next week.
Real Madrid are heading into this semifinal with a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, meaning keeping a clean sheet could be mandatory if they are to overturn the deficit and book a place in the final. Rudiger, in that regard, could prove to be a vital asset.
In the meantime, Real Madrid are heading into the Valladolid game with David Alaba and Eder Militao as two of the only reliable centre-backs in the team. Among the two, Alaba has struggled with injuries this season, so it will be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti deals with this tricky situation this afternoon.
