Chelsea Women vs Real Madrid Women prediction: Blues can pass Real test | OneFootball

Chelsea get their Women’s Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday when they welcome Spanish giants Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge (8pm, DAZN and YouTube).

It is the first European game under new manager Sonia Bompastor, who took charge in the summer after Emma Hayes ended her 12-year stint at the club to become the USA national coach.

The Blues will hope the change of manager can change their luck in the competition after being knocked out by defending champions Barcelona at the semi-final stage in the past two seasons.

It is the only silverware to evade the current Women’s Super League champions after Barcelona also beat them in the 2020-21 final, but the new manager has won it three times - twice as a player and once as a manager with former club Lyon.

Bompastor’s new charges are 11/2 shots to win the competition with betting sites, behind her old club Lyon (4/1) and reigning champions Barcelona (11/10) in the outright market. Unlike the men’s competition, Real are seen as outsiders for the top prize here at 20/1.

The Blues go into the game with two wins out of two in the league, a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa followed by a 7-0 hammering of newly-promoted Crystal Palace at the end of September.

Madrid have so far played five and won five league matches, scoring 15 and conceding just one. They have also played two matches in this competition to qualify for the group stages, beating Sporting of Portugal 5-2 on aggregate over the two legs.

This will be the third consecutive season that the two teams have met in the Champions League group stages and Chelsea are unbeaten across those four meetings, which have produced two wins for the Blues and two draws.

Last season’s meeting at Stamford Bridge saw the Blues get one over Real, with an own goal from goalkeeper Mylene Chavas proving decisive after Athenea del Castillo cancelled out Guro Reiten’s opener from the penalty spot.

Football betting sites make Chelsea heavy favourites to come out on top again at a best-price of 4/9 with Real Madrid as big as 6/1 on certain betting apps.

The match will see Real Madrid midfielder Melanie Leupolz return to Stamford Bridge after she ended a four-year spell at the club in the summer. Another familiar face in the Real side is Scotland international Caroline Weir, who previously played in the WSL for Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Bristol City. She has been in impressive form so far with two goals and three assists, so Millie Bright and the rest of her defence will need to keep a close eye on her.

The home side have seen seven different players on the scoresheet so far this season, with Reiten the only player to score more than once, bagging a brace in the 7-0 win over Palace.

With the goals flowing freely for both sides and this fixture having a history of both sides scoring, pairing both teams to score with a home win appears a solid option to consider.

Responsible gambling

If you are having a bet on this week’s Women’s Champions League matches, it’s important to remember to gamble responsibly.

Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self exclusion options, to help them stay in control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

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