Real Madrid vs. Chelsea: 3 key advantages for Los Blancos in first leg

Real Madrid have the experience advantage

Chelsea are not entirely lacking in Champions League experience, given Thomas Tuchel and Thiago Silva both made it to the final last year with PSG. Hakim Ziyech had quite the run with Ajax, too. And although Mateo Kovacic won’t be available in the first leg, he was a role player during Ziou’s three-peat run.

But, well, how can you beat the full-time three-peat crew when it comes to big-game Champions League experience?

Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal are back. Casemiro, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos form the best midfield trio in the world – even better than Chelsea’s own classy trio – and they have been hardened by the Champions League. Marco Asensio helped out during that run. And, of course, there is Karim Benzema. (We’ll talk more about him later.)

Real Madrid have the self-belief and the blood of liquid nitrogen that comes with performing the unprecedented. The core of the three-peat crew – sans Keylor Navas, Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sergio Ramos – will be out there. Chelsea will have to deal with six world-class starters who have been there, done that three times in a damn row.

It’s an advantage no other team in this competition boasts, and it’s one that has helped carry Real Madrid far in this competition, even when they faced serious crisis points in the group stages.