IT'S not known whether James Cordon will be giving the team talk in the Bernabeu away dressing room for Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final showdown with Real Madrid, but their season has been about as funny as his stand-up show as far as their fans are concerned.
The revelation this week that the London club's controversial owner, Todd Boehly, sought advice about interim manager Frank Lampard's return from the larger-than-life Gavin and Stacey star shouldn't really come as much of a surprise after the utter car crash of a season the Blues have had.
Yet incredibly, they still have a reasonable chance of an unexpected run in Europe's premier competition despite sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League and being a quite staggering 34 points behind an Arsenal side they used to laugh at.
But Lampard's surprise return couldn't prevent a dismal loss at Wolves, which was their fourth game without a win and they haven't scored in three of them.
Mind you, Real Madrid aren't having a vintage season either. Carlo Ancelotti guided Chelsea to the title 13 years ago, but his current side are wildly inconsistent.
They went from a brilliant 4-0 win in the Copa del Rey semi-final in the Nou Camp against Barcelona to a dismal weekend defeat at home to Villarreal. They are now 12 points behind Barca having played a game more.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid are solid odds-on favourites here at 8/11 with UniBet
Chelsea can be backed at 22/5 with UniBet and the draw is 14/5 with bet365.
Recent head to heads
Real Madrid eliminated champions Chelsea in an absolute classic quarter-final tie last season. The Spaniards won 3-1 in London, but trailed 3-0 in the Bernabeu and were heading out before Rodrygo sent the match into extra time and Karim Benzema broke Chelsea's hearts.
Players to watch
Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season and also scored a hat-trick in the Nou Camp against Barcelona last week for his 26th goal of the season for club and country. The French striker is 11/10 with bet365 to score.
Frank Lampard has backed Raheem Sterling as a key player despite his disappointing season. His star is very much on the wane, but on his day he remains a danger and is 9/2 to score with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Never write Real Madrid off in Europe and despite their hugely inconsistent form this season, they appear to be able to raise their game when required. They really should be able to put a Chelsea side lacking confidence to the sword here.
They scored four against Barcelona and five at Liverpool, so goals shouldn't be a problem here. Take them to win and over 3.5 goals at 17/4 with 10bet. It's not inconceivable that Chelsea can score too against a Madrid defence who do offer up opportunities.
This UEFA Europa League match between Real Madrid and Chelsea will be played on Apr 12, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. 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.
