Chelsea battle Real Madrid in the Champions League tonight, hoping to quickly get over their stunning defeat by Brentford.
After the international break, the Blues were emphatically upset by their west London rivals at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Christian Eriksen among the goal scorers as Thomas Tuchel’s side collapsed in humiliating, uncharacteristic fashion after initially leading through Antonio Rudiger.
Chelsea must swiftly recover from a first defeat to Brentford since 1939 that bore none of the hallmarks of their recent admirable on-pitch form that saw them put aside the significant off-field distractions linked to the club’s impending takeover.
Tuchel is desperate for his side to successfully retain their European crown after seeing off Lille in the last 16, but they face a stern quarter-final test against the 13-time continental champions.
Real Madrid bounced back from their El Clasico rout by Barcelona to defeat Celta Vigo on Saturday in a game in which Karim Benzema scored two of three penalties, with Los Blancos now 12 points clear in the LaLiga title race with only eight matches left to play.
