Michael Owen is expecting Chelsea to come out convincing winners when they face Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge this evening.
The Blues are reeling from a 4-1 home loss to Brentford at the weekend, but Owen is backing Thomas Tuchel’s side to bounce back against a team they also beat in the knockout stages of the Champions League last season:
“Another interesting tie, particularly with these two having met in last year’s semi-final. Chelsea won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in that tie, but it could have been four or five. Real looked slow and leggy in that tie, and I don’t see huge improvement in them. Benzema and Vinicius have been brilliant this season and they will be a threat. I’m going for Chelsea though.”
Owen has gone with a 3-1 win for Chelsea, which is a pretty bold prediction, but you can see where he is coming from, even though Tuchel’s men head into the match off the back of a shock league defeat.
Real were dispatched pretty easily in the semi-finals last year and their recent 4-0 home loss to Barcelona does suggest they are nowhere near the levels that saw them win four European Cups in five years last decade.
However, it’s probably wise not to take them too lightly. As Owen points out, they still have some dangerous players like Vinicius Jnr and Karim Benzema that the Blues will need to keep an eye on.
