Real Madrid: 5 burning questions heading into Champions League semifinal second leg

Real Madrid are fresh off a 2-0 win over Osasuna, as they managed to find two late goals to sink the pesky side from Pamplona at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano. And now, their attention turns to the second leg of the Champions League semifinals against Chelsea, whom they drew 1-1 this past Tuesday.

Chelsea showed in the first leg that they have what it takes to beat Los Blancos, as Real’s draw was merely an act of survival. But they were also not facing the best version of Real Madrid. Let’s take a look at five key questions heading into this pivotal second leg.

Will Real Madrid get their key players back?

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the statuses of Fede Valverde, Ferland Mendy, and Sergio Ramos. All three men are important players to Los Blancos, especially defensively. Valverde is a great ball-winning midfielder, Ramos is the captain, and Mendy is far and away the better left back than Marcelo, who will miss the match anyway due to polling duty.

Mendy’s injury looms largest. If he does not play on Wednesday night, it’s conceivable that his very absence could mean the difference between victory and defeat for Los Blancos in the semifinals.

So Real need Mendy back. Valverde’s COVID-19 status is unclear and hard to predict, but there is optimism he can play. If so, he could be called into action at right back or off the bench in midfield, and, in the case of the former, his situation would be impacted by Mendy’s health.