Chelsea's 2022/23 campaign could be decided by their Champions League quarterfinal second-leg clash against Real Madrid on April 18.
Frank Lampard's side are currently 17 points adrift of a top-four Premier League spot this season with the former England international yet to win a game since returning to Stamford Bridge.
A 2-0 first-leg loss in Madrid has put Lampard's charges on the back foot ahead of the return fixture with Carlo Ancelotti battling to defend his European title in 2023.
Anything less than a three-goal margin victory will spell the end of Chelsea's Champions League campaign with Lampard facing a fight to secure a top-half domestic finish.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid lineups
The Blues face an uphill task to dig themselves out of a first leg hole, and they have not overturned a Champions League knockout tie since 2012, when Roberto Di Matteo's side fought back against Napoli in the Round of 16 before going on to win the competition.
However, they did respond in their last two Champions League knockout two-legged ties against Real Madrid, with a 1-1 draw followed by a 2-0 win in 2021, and 3-1 loss backed up by a 3-2 victory in 2022, only to lose out on aggregate in the latter.
Below are the confirmed starting lineups for both teams ahead of their Champions League match at Stamford Bridge on April 18.
Chelsea starting 11
(5-4-1): Kepa (GK) — James, Fofana, Silva, Chalobah, Cucurella — Kante, Fernandez, Kovacic, Gallagher — Havertz
- Injured: Broja, Koulibaly,
- Suspended: Chilwell
Ben Chilwell's and Kalidou Koulibaly are unavailable due to the respective red card and injury they suffered during the first leg. Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta come into the back five behind what looks like a packed midfield. Kai Havertz was a doubt with a knee injury but starts as Chelsea's only recognised attacker.
Real Madrid starting 11
(4-3-3): Courtois (GK) — Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga — Valverde, Kroos, Modric — Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
- Injured: Mendy
- Suspended: None
Ancelotti is a creature of habit in the Champions League and stuck with an unchanged starting XI from the first leg. The Italian rested a host of key names for the 2-0 La Liga win over Cadiz, in preparation for this tie, with Toni Kroos and Vinicius Junior both passed fit.
Chelsea vs Real Madrid live stream, TV channel
The winners of the match will play Manchester City at the semifinal stage, unless Bayern can reverse their 3-0 first leg defeat, when the Premier League champions head to Munich.
If Real Madrid or Chelsea can make it all way to the final on June 10, they will face one of AC Milan, Napoli, Inter Milan or Benfica.
The match will be streamed or televised by the following outlets around the world:
| Date | Kickoff time | TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Weds, Apr. 19 | 05:00 AEST | — | Stan Sport |
| Canada | Tue, Apr. 18 | 15:00 ET | — | DAZN |
| Hong Kong | Weds, Apr. 19 | 03:00 HKT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| India | Weds, Apr. 19 | 00:30 IST | — | JioTV, Sony LIV |
| Malaysia | Weds, Apr. 19 | 03:00 MYT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| New Zealand | Weds, Apr. 19 | 07:00 NZST | — | Spark Sport |
| Singapore | Weds, Apr. 19 | 03:00 SGT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| UK | Tue, Apr. 18 | 20:00 BST | BT Sport 1 | BT Sport site/app |
| USA | Tue, Apr. 18 | 15:00 ET | Univision | Fubo, Paramount+, ViX+, Univision Now |
UK: The match will be broadcast on BT Sport 1 and streamed on BT Sport platforms.
USA: This match will be televised on Univision, with each broadcast streamed on Fubo. Paramount+ will also carry the English-language stream for subscribers, as will ViX+ in Spanish.
Canada: Every Champions League game streams live on DAZN.
Australia: Every UEFA Champions League match streams ad-free on Stan Sport, live and on demand.
