Chelsea and Real Madrid will go toe-to-toe in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge this evening, looking to secure a place in the final against Manchester City.
The two sides enter this evening's contest with the scoreline evenly balanced at 1-1 after last Tuesday evening's first-leg at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium ended all square, although the Blues did secure a vital away goal through Christian Pulisic.
Since going head-to-head in Spain last week, each side won a respective league fixture over the weekend, defeating both Fulham and Osasuna 2-0 respectively.
However, Premier League and La Liga matters will be put to one side this evening, with a place in the final of European club football's biggest competition up for grabs.
Victory for Madrid on Saturday extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 matches, meaning they will have confidence running through their veins when they arrive at Stamford Bridge this evening.
Although the Spanish giants have been in fine form of late, injury problems have been an issue for boss Zinedine Zidane, with him having had to shuffle his pack on countless occasions in recent weeks. This evening, he will be forced to do the same, with both Dani Carvajal and Raphael Varane, who started last week's first-leg, ruled out through injury.
However, Zidane has been boosted by the returns of both Sergio Ramos and Ferland Mendy from injury, meaning they will hand the Frenchman a bit of a selection headache as far as his defensive choices are concerned.
Although selecting a defensive-line may be difficult, former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will line-up in goal.
Ahead of him, unlike in the first-leg, Madrid could revert back to a back-four, just as they did against Osasuna at the weekend.
With Carvajal out with a hamstring injury, it is likely that Alvaro Odriozola will slot in at right-back, just as he did against Osasuna. Eder Militao will be partnered by the returning Ramos at centre-back, whilst Marcelo will continue at left-back, despite Mendy's return and availability for selection.
Marcelo has been included in the squad despite being part of the Madrid Assembly elections yesterday, meaning it is likely he will continue on the left-side of the defence.
With Zidane likely to field a back-four, it is almost certain the formation will prove to be a 4-3-3.
If that is the case, the midfield trio is likely to be made up of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro, the latter of whom scored at the weekend, meaning it would be the exact same midfield-three that started the first-leg.
In attack, Karim Benzema, who scored last Tuesday evening, is nailed on to lead the line, with support coming from Marco Asensio on the right and former Chelsea star Eden Hazard, who will make his first return to Stamford Bridge since leaving the club in 2019, lining up on the left.
Hazard stepped off the bench last week and then started Saturday's win over Osasuna, meaning it is likely he will retain his place in the team as he looks to continue to build-up his fitness levels.
Should Zidane name the same team as we have predicted, it would leave him with no shortage of options on the bench, including the likes of Nacho, Federico Valverde, Isco, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Predicted Real Madrid starting line-up vs Chelsea (4-3-3): Courtois; Odriozola, Ramos, Militao, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Hazard.
