Chelsea vs Real Madrid tips & Champions League predictions
Chelsea Women vs Real Madrid Women predictions
Chelsea’s charge to a viable treble in manager Emma Hayes’ last season at the club picks up on Wednesday as the Blues host Real Madrid in the Women’s Champions League (8pm, TNT Sports 1).
Chelsea return to European action for the first time since their gritty 3-1 win at Hacken in December, and they’ve already hit top form this January.
Respective 3-1 victories over West Ham and Manchester United have the Blues in a strong position to win both the FA Cup and Women’s Super League this term. The Champions League has so far eluded Hayes – but football betting sites reckon this could be Chelsea’s season.
Wednesday sees Real Madrid rock up at Stamford Bridge with the Spanish side having already been eliminated from the group stage. Real suffered a 4-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup last week and the betting sites aren’t giving them much chance here either.
With Chelsea in top form, it’s hard to see any result other than a home win, which could be achieved in some style.
Chelsea can be on top from start to finish
Chelsea are 1/4 with most UK bookmakers to win this clash, which is a signal of just how dominant they’ve been in Group D this term.
Granted, they were held to a 2-2 draw in Madrid when they played Real in November, but there was some controversy about the conclusion to their opening group stage games, which was sandwiched between two WSL ties that week.
On Wednesday, it’s likely Chelsea will try to come out of the blocks fast and grab an early goal at Stamford Bridge. It took Barcelona just 12 minutes to breach Real’s defence last week, while Lauren James opened the scoring just five minutes into Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Manchester United last weekend.
Backing Chelsea to win both halves at 17/20 with BetVictor could be the strongest way to play the match markets.
Big night for James
Sam Kerr’s recent injury means Hayes has had to shake things up at the top this month, and James thrived in the No.10 role behind Mia Fishel in the win over United.
James is ahead of Fran Kirby in the pecking order right now but Hayes may choose to push the 22-year-old forward on Wednesday and bring Kirby back into the XI.
No matter where she plays, James is likely to carve out a handful of chances for herself. She’s averaging a goal a game in the WSL but is used more defensively in Europe. It’ll be interesting to see where she’s deployed here.
The temptation to stick James up front, with thousands watching at the Bridge, is great. Betting sites are aware of her threat and she’s the 11/2 favourite to score two or more in the game at William Hill, ahead of teammate Aggie Beever-Jones, who was an unused sub against United.
No way through for Real
There’s no denying Real Madrid pose an attacking threat on Wednesday but this is not a priority game for them. Having already been eliminated from the Champions League, the big focus now is on catching Barcelona at the top of Liga F. Even finishing runners-up domestically secures a second-round spot in the Champions League for next season and that's where Real's main interest will lie.
So, while Real will likely field a relatively strong XI here, there’s no denying that attention is also on Saturday’s trip to Athletic Bilbao.
This could well be a quiet night for Hannah Hampton or Zecira Musovic, whichever one of them starts in goal for Chelsea. Naomie Feller has just one Champions League goal to boast of this season, while Linda Caicedo is yet to peak in this competition. Don’t be surprised if neither player lasts 90 minutes here.
BetUK reckon Chelsea have a 45 per cent chance of keeping a clean sheet, at odds of 6/5, and that takes our fancy as our last Chelsea vs Real Madrid prediction.
How to get free bets for the Women’s Champions League
new UK betting sites to see if you are eligible for a free bet to use on the game.
By using the Betfred promo code WELCOME40, new customers can get £30 in free bets and a £10 slot bonus to use at their UK casino.
To claim the bonus, customers will need to open an account with Betfred and deposit a minimum of £10 via debit card.
They will then need to wager a minimum of £10 on a selection at evens (2.0) or greater on any sport to unlock the free bets, which are credited to your account once the qualifying bet is settled.
If you are following our football betting tips as part of the Betfred offer, remember to gamble responsibly and always check the terms and conditions when signing up for a new betting site.
Joe Short is a freelance journalist and former editor at the Daily Express, covering politics, football, tennis and darts, among other things. He contributes sports betting tips for The Independent.
