A well-rested Chelsea begin their Women’s Champions League account at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as Real Madrid come to town.
The Blues enjoyed the weekend off after their WSL fixture with Manchester United was postponed due to scheduling concerns.
A successful defence of their WSL crown last season means Chelsea, now led by Sonia Bompastor following Emma Hayes’ exit, were one of four teams to qualify automatically for the WUCL. Real Madrid, on the contrary, had to beat Sporting CP over two legs – which they did so comfortably – to advance into the group stage.
The women’s competition has stuck with a traditional group stage format for 2024/25, with Chelsea and Real Madrid paired alongside each other in Group B with Celtic and FC Twente. The two sides that face off in west London will be expected to advance into the knockout stages, but Tuesday’s game will likely have a huge say on who tops the group.
Real Madrid have won seven out of seven in all competitions to start the new season, while Chelsea have also maintained a perfect record.
Here is 90min’s guide to Tuesday night’s Women’s Champions League fixture.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
How to watch Chelsea vs Real Madrid on TV and live stream
Chelsea team news
Chelsea may have enjoyed the weekend off, but their injury list is still pretty lengthy.
The hosts are once again without Sam Kerr, who said last month that she will not rush her return from a torn ACL sustained in January. Sophie Ingle, Mia Fishel, Aniek Nouwen, Niamh Charles and Oriane Jean-Francois are also sidelined for the Blues.
Lionesses Lauren James and Lucy Bronze are both expected to start, while Mayra Ramirez could return to the XI and lead Chelsea’s line after dropping to the bench for the rout of Crystal Palace ten days ago.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Real Madrid
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Hampton; Bronze, Buchanan, Bright, Lawrence; Cuthbert, Nusken; Rytting Kaneryd, James, Reiten; Ramirez
Real Madrid team news
The visitors have far fewer concerns on the injury front, with manager Alberto Toril having the luxury of rotating his squad for Friday’s 1-0 victory over Valencia.
Maelle Lakrar, Teresa Abelleira and Eva Navarro are among the players expected to return to Toril’s starting XI at Stamford Bridge.
Veteran midfielder Melanie Leupolz departed Chelsea for the Spanish capital in the summer, so she’ll be familiar with her surroundings when she takes to the field on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Chelsea
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Misa; Hernandez, Lakrar, Mendez, Carmona; Leupolz, Abelleira; Navarro, Moller, Caicedo; Redondo.
These two teams played out a pair of tight games in the group stage last season, and we can expect to enjoy something similar on Tuesday night.
A new-look Chelsea have started the season brightly despite their injury issues, but Real Madrid will be full of confidence and keen to avenge their defeat at Stamford Bridge from January. They’ve been excellent at the start of 2024/25, and they could enjoy themselves for large spells on Tuesday.
The Blues, though, are capable of resisting a buoyant Madrid and they could get the better of the Spanish counterparts again in west London.
