The boys have finally been separated from the men in the UEFA Champions League, with some mouthwatering first-leg semi-final matches scheduled for midweek.
Real Madrid will welcome Chelsea to the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Tuesday night, as the Blancos aim to win a record-extending 14th European crown.
Zinedine Zidane’s side hasn’t been impressive in recent weeks but the manner in which they saw off Liverpool in the quarter-final points to a side that cannot be underestimated whatsoever.
Chelsea, though, are still revelling in an upturn in fortunes under Thomas Tuchel. Since becoming manager in January, the German has lost just two matches, leading the Blues to 16 clean sheets in 21 matches.
Under Tuchel, Chelsea have become more solid defensively and rarely concede goals. That means Real Madrid would have to be at their best to defeat the English side.
The irony, though, is that the Blancos are also currently struggling to score goals. Real Madrid have failed to score in three of their last four matches, including Saturday’s dull goalless draw against Real Betis in La Liga.
However, on a good day, the likes of Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr can wreak havoc. Real Madrid have also been boosted by the return of Eden Hazard, who featured against Real Betis over the weekend.
Raphael Verane, Dani Carvajal and Marco Asensio are also fit and will be expected to start against the Blues on Tuesday.
On Chelsea’s side, there are no fresh injuries apart from Mateo Kovacic who is yet to recover from a hamstring injury. Everyone else is fit and ready to face Real Madrid.
As at the time of writing this article, Betika prices Real Madrid at 2.40 to win the first-leg semi-final while Chelsea has an odd of 3.30 to upset the hosts by winning. Meanwhile, a draw is priced at 3.25.