Real Madrid at Chelsea: Five X-Factors who could change the game

Chelsea FW Timo Werner

Timo Werner is a misunderstood player by many fans who have either not followed his career closely in the Bundesliga or who prefer to get their information from memes as opposed to watching the games themselves with a thoughtful, critical eye.

Although Werner misses chances, he creates them at a higher rate than most forwards, because he is the opposite of a stagnant No. 9. In fact, he’s not really a striker. He’s a dynamic, pacy mismatch who works hard to disrupt an opponent’s attacking structure, and that makes him particularly dangerous to Real Madrid in the second leg.

The former RB Leipzig star missed a great chance against Real in the first leg, but he did not have a bad game. And he’s been hot in the Premier League lately with a goal contribution in each of his last three starts, as well as two key passes in each of those matches.

Werner has 20 goal contributions this season and is Chelsea’s most impactful player in the final third, even accounting for the missed opportunities. His athleticism makes him one of Chelsea’s biggest X-Factors. If he can take advantage of his chances and atone for his miss in the first leg, Werner could very well be the man who sinks Real Madrid hearts at Stamford Bridge, a little over a year after he was on Madridistas’ radars as a possible transfer target.