Return to the scene of the crime

It is not convenient for Madrid to look back, neither long nor short, on its return to the scene of the crime. He has never been able to beat Chelsea with three different generations of footballers (the tardoyeyés, the Quinta del Ferrari and the post-Christianity) and he appears at the most critical moment of the season, with his jaw battered by the Classic and doubts that had not appeared until now. It is also not a good time for the champion, hit unexpectedly by the war in Ukraine that dispossessed Abramovich of the club property last month. Those sneezes in the box can end up in colds on the field (Follow today’s game live on As.com).

Madrid arrives at the game touched by the right wing, a focus of instability throughout the season. Above, Rodrygo and Asensio have shared the minutes without losing the interim. The artificial intelligence and the goals (ten against two) recognize a more notable performance for the Balearic, improved compared to last season, but his irregularity places him under suspicion. His ownership against Celta it may be an indication of his substitution today. Behind his back things are no better. Carvajal, who has already suffered two injuries and the coronavirus this season, is far from the best version of him (the data shows him to be the player in the worst shape) and Lucas Vázquez has also had better moments. With this horizon it is not ruled out that Valverde enters as a fourth midfielder to strengthen the area even at the cost of betraying the drawing.

The rest have little history. With no more casualties than those of three inconsequential players (Isco, Hazard and Jovic), Ancelotti, who was unable to travel to London yesterday and will try to do so today if he receives the expected COVID negative, will pull the usual ones. Benzemawho in Vigo showed no signs of his muscle injury, will be Madrid’s driving force. He has already scored eight goals in the Champions League. Only Lewandowski surpasses him among the players who are still in the competition. Chelsea does not have that player, whose top scorer in the Champions League (three goals) is Werner, the great disappointment of the last two years and for whom they are already looking for a way out. He is the one with the worst performance in the squad, according to data from Olocip.

Lukaku’s slump

The other great asset blue, Lukaku, for whose playoffs he paid 113 million in the summer, has not yet materialized in the Tuchel plan. He is the team’s top scorer (12 goals), but has only started twelve times in Premier matches. In January he announced his desire to return to Inter and the coach left him out in the crucial game against Liverpool. “He apologized. He didn’t mean to make any noise.”Tuchel said later to justify the pardon, but he is not his first choice as a striker.

The game comes at a difficult time for the club. On March 10, Abramovich lost control of it due to British government sanctions on Russian oligarchs and income was frozen. That meant today’s match would have to be played behind closed doors. Then, the Administration softened the measure and the presence of the public will be allowed, but the collection will not be for a club for which they bid four groups interested in buying it: two British (one of them includes Olympic legend Sebastian Coe, a fan of the club) and two North Americans. One of these, that of Joe Ricketts, owner of the MLB Chicago Cubs, has provoked protests from fans for some Islamophobic comments and for having supported Donald’s campaigns. The uproar has three of its defensive strongholds at the exit door this summer: Azpilicueta, Christiansen and Rüdiger.

Chelsea arrives at the game after suffering the worst defeat of the season (1-4 against Brentford)with an eleven without important players like Christensen, Jorginho, Kovacic or Pulisic. Today they will all be in a reliable team that has only lost four times all season, that has already won the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, that fell in the EFL Cup final and that has the Cup semi-finals pending.

The second youth of Thiago Silva

Tuchel has used that defense of three central defenders that he has already tried in Dortmund in a large part of the games this season, especially against the greats. He is justified. Olocip’s data point to Thiago Silva, on his way to 38 years, as the most profitable player in the Premier. Rüdiger has also shown an exceptional level. Tuchel will rely on them, on two very long full-backs, on Kanté and Jorginho to support the team and on the mobility of Pulisic, Ziyech and Havertz.

Third in the English League, it presents contradictory data. His most valued footballers are the defenders, but his effectiveness in attack is much greater than the protection of his goal. In Europe, on the other hand, their goalkeepers (Mendy has played seven games and Kepa one) are the ones who have had to make the fewest saves (nine). Quite the opposite of Courtois, the most demanded (35 interventions). Proof of his mastery when it comes to defending with the ball is that he has the most possession in the tournament (59.9%), six points above Madrid, and has scored the same goals as the Whites (17) with 16 shots less. The noise in the dispatches hasn’t cleaned up his champion team stats.