Now that the quarterfinal matchups for the UEFA Champions League are set, ESPN's Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens look at how each team fared in the draw, the players who could decide each tie and which teams are the safest bets to advance.
This is a rematch of last season's incredible quarterfinal. Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick and Real Madrid won 3-1 at Stamford Bridge before Chelsea shocked the Bernabeu in the second leg by leading 3-0 with a dominant performance, until Rodrygo and then Benzema again, in extra time, led Madrid to victory and knocked the Londoners out.
This time around, Real Madrid are even more favoured compared to a year ago. The European champions are not firing in all cylinders in LaLiga, where they trail Barcelona by nine points, but when it comes to the Champions League, they have this remarkable savoir faire and experience; they rarely panic and always keep control of their destiny. The way they won at Anfield against Liverpool (5-2) in the last round reminded everybody of their strength.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are not the team they were a year ago -- far from it. Despite three wins in a row, including a victory in their last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund, Graham Potter is still looking for consistency and momentum. The Blues will have to be an improved team in a month's time when they travel to Madrid if they want to cause problems. Time could play in their favour in this case.
The key player who could decide it for each team
REAL MADRID: Karim Benzema. Despite an up-and-down season because of injuries at age 35, Karim Benzema is still the most important player in this Real Madrid side. Of course, Vinicius, Luka Modric, Antonio Rudiger or Thibaut Courtois are massively important but the 2022 Ballon d'Or is the X factor, the leader, the soul, the scorer and the guide of the team.
Since the restart, he has been in great scoring form when he plays and his record in knockout rounds of the Champions League since last season is unreal: 13 goals in his past eight matches beyond the group stage. His consistency -- 89 Champions League goals now in his career, the only player along with Lionel Messi to have scored in 18 European campaigns in a row -- is outstanding and he is clutch by definition. A man for the biggest occasions.
CHELSEA: Wesley Fofana. If Chelsea are currently doing better, it's mostly because of the defender's form. Since coming back from injury and settling into the Blues' back three, the former Leicester defender has made this team much more solid, and even scored the winner against Leeds in the Premier League. His partnership with Kalidou Koulibaly is excellent and whoever is named as the third man in the defense -- Marc Cucurella, Benoit Badiashile, Thiago Silva -- will fit in nicely.
His duel with Benzema, if both of them are fit to play, will be the biggest key in this game. At 22, Fofana is learning quickly about the demands of the top level and this could prove his biggest test yet. Didier Deschamps even called him up for France for the first time on Thursday, which will boost his confidence before what will be a huge end of the season for him.
Who advances?
Real Madrid. I don't think this will be an easy tie at all for the European champions. I expect Chelsea to be better by the time the first leg comes and to make this competitive. Yet the experience and recent success of Real Madrid in this competition make them favourites. -- Laurens
A very long time ago, they faced each other in the European Cup final and neither of them would have started this current Champions League campaign back in September thinking they could meet again in the quarterfinals this time. But here they are, enjoying two very different styles and seasons.
Real Madrid vs. Chelsea
Inter Milan vs. Benfica