N’Golo Kanté makes his comeback in the Champions League after exactly 365 days of absence. The Chelsea midfielder has already played twice in the Premier League and will be in the starting line-up for the quarter-finals of the Champions League at Real Madrid on Wednesday evening. The match starts at 9 p.m. and can be viewed on RTL 7 and Ziggo Sports Football.
Exactly one year ago, Kante last played at the billion dollar ball, also then in the Spanish capital against Real Madrid. Chelsea won 2-3 after extra time, but were therefore eliminated. Kante struggled for a year with a persistent hamstring injury, but returns to the highest European podium in the Santiago Bernabéu. Hakim Ziyech is also on the bench.
Despite the almost unbridgeable gap of thirteen points with Barcelona in LaLiga, Real still has every chance to make it an unforgettable season. In addition to the upcoming cup final, the Madrilenians are on paper the favorite to reach the semi-finals of the billion dollar ball at the expense of Chelsea. The defending champion cannot have the calf-injured Ferland Mendy against the Londoners, but everyone else is fit. Last season, the teams met in the quarterfinals. After the 1-3 victory at Stamford Bridge, things almost went wrong in their own Santiago Bernabéu. Chelsea led 0-3, then Rodrygo secured extra time. Karim Benzema shot into it loose Blancos to the semifinals.
Chelsea will especially want to hold on to that victory in Madrid, because things are going dramatically in the league this season. The Blues are eleventh and the only way to play Champions League football next season is to win the tournament this season. Manager Frank Lampard cannot have the injured Armando Broja and César Azpilicueta at his disposal, while Noni Madueke, among others, is not entitled to play. Windfall on Saturday against Wolverhampton Wanderers (1-0 defeat) was the return of Raheem Sterling, who was out of circulation for several weeks with a thigh injury. Sterling forms a striker couple with
Real Madrid lineup: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
Chelsea line-up: Kepa; James, Fofana, Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Chilwell; , Kante, Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez; Sterling, Joao Felix.