Just two games remain in the 2020/21 UEFA Champions League but there is still plenty to play for in the tournament’s official Fantasy game.
Manchester City’s dominant 4-1 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain saw them secure a place in this year’s final on Tuesday night.
And this evening, Chelsea host Real Madrid to decide who takes the other spot after a 1-1 first-leg draw.
UCL Fantasy managers can still make the usual substitutions and captaincy changes ahead of Wednesday’s match in west London, which we’ll preview below.
MAKE CHANGES TO YOUR UCL FANTASY TEAM HERE
Chelsea v Real Madrid (agg: 1-1)
This is an incredibly hard game to call. Like in the first leg last week, it will likely be determined by whose defence is the most resilient. The only goal Real have conceded in their last seven games came against Chelsea and they now have captain Sergio Ramos back fit and in their starting XI. Real haven’t lost a game since the end of January, either, and haven’t conceded more than once in a game since then.
However, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea might be the side to overturn Real’s unbeaten record. The German has never lost to a Real side in his Champions League career, making him the only manager to have played Real five or more times and not experience defeat. Under his leadership, Chelsea have kept a remarkable 17 clean sheets in 23 games. These are two sides who don’t concede goals.
So, what does this mean for our substitutions and captaincy ahead of this last semi-final match?
Chelsea looked the better side in the first leg and could’ve massively extended their early lead but Real are a resilient outfit with experience winning games like this. Ramos’ role as a penalty-taking defender may well make him the best captaincy choice from this game. This is the sort of tie that could be decided by a singular set piece and Ramos’ big-game experience and threat from all dead-ball situations makes him a strong option now he’s back in the Real team.
For Chelsea, Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz all come into this game in great form. Chilwell has the advantage of possible points at both ends of the pitch but Havertz has shown that he’s capable of scoring big in individual fixtures. Mount is more consistent, but less explosive, which might not be what we’re looking for at this stage of the competition.
Elsewhere, Jorginho looks a better pick than his Madridista counterpart Casemiro. He is Chelsea’s primary penalty taker and great for balls recovered. If you have him, make sure he’s in your starting XI for this evening.
In terms of overall consistency, Karim Benzema is probably the best option for this match. Benzema is Real’s top scorer in all competitions by a long way and has incredible Champions League heritage. His first-leg goal proved his ability to pull something out of nothing and he is the most likely player of any to find his way onto the scoresheet. Despite the strength of Chelsea’s defence, the Frenchman is Real’s best option of breaking the deadlock.
2 years, 11 months agoThoughts on these moves for a -4?
Vydra > DCL
Maddison > Bissouma
Current team is:
Mendy
Coady - Trent - Rudiger
Son - Lingz - Bruno - Salah - Maddison
Nacho - Kane
Bench: Forster - Coufal - Vydra - Veltman