Real Madrid's biggest threat is widely known to Thomas Tuchel, but Chelsea have a secret weapon.
When Chelsea and Real Madrid meet in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday, Chelsea will have to be wary of several specific Real Madrid players.
The Champions League quarter-final matchup between Chelsea and Real Madrid is undoubtedly the most fascinating. 15 Champions League, or formerly known as European Cup, titles have been won between the two European powerhouses.
Despite the fact that 13 of them are Spaniards, it is one of the competition's so-called glamour ties. It's an interesting rematch of last season's semi-final.
Chelsea won 3-1 over the two legs back then, with Thomas Tuchel leading the west London club to their second Champions League title. In fact, the Blues made Los Blancos look ordinary in the tournament's last four, but Tuchel will be wary of complacency this time around as they face a different beast.
Real will get the Spanish top-flight trophy back in their hands come the end of the season, barring nothing short of a miracle. Without Karim Benzema's excellent form, they would not have been able to maintain their comfortable advantage at the top of the league.
Despite being in the later years of his career, the 34-year-old attacker shows no signs of slowing down. In La Liga this season, Benzema has scored 24 goals in 26 games, putting him comfortably at the top of the scoring standings.
Benzema was on fire at the weekend, scoring a brace in Real's 2-1 win against Celta Vigo, despite some recent fitness concerns about the Frenchman. Benzema's brace was his ninth and tenth goals in just six games across all competitions.
His blistering form for Los Blancos should serve as a warning to Chelsea, but it will not come as a surprise to anyone, notably Thomas Tuchel. Benzema was labeled as "massively underestimated" by the German while he was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain.
Tuchel remarked in September 2019 that "he's one of the most underestimated players in the world." "He's top-notch, and because he doesn't just play as a number nine, he's really difficult to defend against. He spreads his wings and flies all over the place. He has a lot of talent, crosses well, and can score goals with his head."
Chelsea's players will be well aware of what Benzema has to offer Real Madrid. The French striker was in superb form for the Spaniards in the first leg of the semi-final less than a year ago. In the box, the former Lyon player found himself in a good position. He had great control of the ball before unleashing a spectacular volley beyond Edouard Mendy.