5 Chelsea players who will be vital to defeating Real Madrid in the Champions League

5 Chelsea players who will be vital to defeating Real Madrid in the Champions League On Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu, Chelsea will go up against the team that knocked them out of the 2021/22 Champions League quarterfinals in unforgettable fashion. The Blues were, in truth, the better all-around side than Real Madrid. They controlled most of the matches, created a higher volume of chances, and played a nearly perfect match tactically under Thomas Tuchel. But when it was all said and done, Los Blancos found a way, finishing off their chances better than Chelsea and rising amidst the chaos of the late stages of the second leg to triumph in a comeback at that very stadium. Playing the first leg at the Bernabéu is an advantage for Chelsea. And while the Blues are struggling this season in the Premier League, the Champions League is an entirely different competition. Anything can happen. As they showed in 2020/21 en route to winning the competition, Chelsea is more than capable of eliminating the record winners of the Champions League. Let’s take a look at five Chelsea players who will be vital to advancing from the quarterfinals. CM N’Golo Kanté N’Golo Kanté’s return to the pitch is massive news for Chelsea. Yes, he is in the final stages of his career, but Kanté is still such a young player in midfield. We cannot forget what he did in the 2020/21 season, as his massive performances in both legs of the semifinals were crucial in Chelsea’s triumph over Real Madrid. In a recent 0-0 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League, the veteran Frenchman showed his quality. He had four combined tackles and interceptions, as well as three chances created. Everyone knows how good Kanté is box-to-box, especially as a ball-winner on the defensive end, but he should get more recognition for how he helps the attack. If Kanté is at his vintage best, Chelsea have more than a fighter’s chance. RB Reece James Real Madrid fans have given Reece James plaudits for two straight seasons of facing them in the Champions League. Clearly, James is the best right back in the Premier League and the envy of so many clubs around European football. Everyone dreams of having a two-way right back like James, who understands the nuances of the position and is a difficult athlete to contend with. Right backs aren’t often the key difference-makers in a Champions League tie, but James is not your ordinary talent. He has the quality to help Chelsea deal with the Champions League’s most effective player, Vinícius Júnior, while offering plenty going forward to ask questions of an embattled Madrid defense. CF Kai Havertz An awful lot rests on the shoulders of the young Kai Havertz, who is one of the most technically gifted players in the Premier League. But because he struggles to put away his chances up top, Havertz hasn’t quite had the success on the pitch to match his pure talent. Havertz is a danger in the Champions League, as we saw in 2020/21, because if he does come up with the goods in front of goal, he can be the total package. Real Madrid’s defense was elite last season in the UCL but has been vulnerable this season. Havertz’s link-up play, dribbling skills, and eye for the spectacular could cause Carlo Ancelotti real headaches. DM Enzo Fernández A major winter transfer for the Blues, Enzo Fernández lit up the World Cup as a champion and was already becoming a big name in world football before that due to his body of work with Benfica. Fernández is one of the best young anchoring midfielders in the world and someone Real Madrid must be wary of. Fernández will be going up against the deepest, most experienced, and most talented midfield in world football. Real Madrid have a great mix of young stars and veteran winners. But Fernández has as much pure footballing ability as any of the young guns on Madrid. He is a borderline elite defender and has great composure on the ball, picking out progressive options. The pressure is on him to be flawless, though, given Madrid’s quality. If Fernández can rise to the occasion, Chelsea will be in a great position to pull off an upset of the defending champions. CM Mateo Kovačić Finally, Mateo Kovačić is a former Real Madrid standout worth watching closely through these two legs. The Croatian midfielder has become an even bigger name in the context of world football since joining Chelsea, shining as their best player in the 2020/21 season when they won the UCL under Thomas Tuchel. While the 2022/23 Premier League season has been less kind to the 28-year-old, Kovačić has actually been quite good through six Champions League starts. His press resistance, dribbling skills, and intensity on defense make him a great partner on the other side of Kanté. If Kovačić can add that extra bit of quality in the final third, he could pose a real issue for Los Blancos.