CHELSEA will play their penultimate pre-season friendly in the early hours of Wednesday morning when they take on Real Madrid in the USA.
In theory, this match should provide the Blues with the ultimate test given that Real Madrid are the current Champions League holders, but after a bruising pre-season to date they could perhaps do with facing an easier opponent.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, haven't had a great pre-season either, losing two of their three friendlies including a 1-0 defeat to bitter rivals, Barcelona.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos edge it
It is very rare that Real Madrid go into any match in any competing as the underdogs so it shouldn't come as a huge shock to learn that they are the favourites for this match, too. Los Blancos have been priced as the 11/10 favourites with Betfred while a Chelsea victory has been priced at 7/4.
The draw, which is entirely plausible given the quality of both teams, has been priced at 11/4.
Recent head-to-head: Nip and tuck
Real Madrid vs Chelsea is a fixture that has been played rather frequently in recent seasons with the sides being drawn to face each other in three of the last four editions of the Champions League. Across those six legs, Real Madrid have won three, Chelsea have won two and one finished all square. The overall H2H record goes in favour of Chelsea.
Players to watch: The return of the Brazilians
After a disappointing summer at the Copa America, Vinicus Jr and Rodrygo have joined up with the Real Madrid squad for the end of their pre-season tour. Both men were substitutes against Barcelona with Vinicius getting some minutes in the second half.
It's expected that the dynamic duo will start the game against Chelsea on Wednesday morning as the pair look to recapture their best form ahead of another season of chasing silverware for Los Blancos. Last season, Vinicius Jr scored 24 goals and provided ten assists in all competitions while Rodrygo contributed 17 goals and eight assists.
In the blue corner, it's a big season for Christopher Nkunku after the Frenchman missed the majority of his debut campaign with Chelsea due to injury. Nkunku has looked sharp in pre-season, scoring three goals in four matches and will be looking to add to that tally against Real Madrid.
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid are missing a whole host of stars, including Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal and new signing Kylian Mbappe with all three men resting after their Euro 2024 exploits. Chelsea are also missing some key players, most notably their player of the year, Cole Palmer. Nicolas Jackson will also miss out due to injury.
Real Madrid: Courtois – Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Garcia – Martin, Ceballos, Guler – Rodrygo, Endrick, Vinicius Jr
Chelsea: Sanchez – James, Badiashile, Colwill, Chilwell – Fernandez, Dewsbury-Hall – Madueke, Nkunku, Sterling – Guiu
Anything else catch the eye?
A total of 18 goals have been scored across Chelsea's four pre-season matches so far which suggests they could be a very fun team to watch this season at both ends of the pitch. Real Madrid aren't the team to shy away from an end-to-end battle so strap yourselves in for a classic. Over 3.5 goals is priced at 1/1 with Betfred.
This Club Friendly match between Real Madrid and Chelsea will be played on Aug 7, 2024 and kick off at 00:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
