Chelsea travel to Spain to take on Real Madrid in the second leg of their quarterfinal tie. The defending champions are hoping to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. However, the Blues will have to do it without star man Romelu Lukaku, who has not recovered from his injury. The striker is set to miss the encounter. Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid, UCL 2021-22 Quarterfinal Result: Karim Benzema Hat-trick Helps Real Madrid Dominate.
Chelsea were blown away by Real Madrid and Karim Benzema in the first leg of the counter. The Frenchman scored a sensational hat-trick to lead the Spanish outfit to a brilliant win. The Los Blancos have a 3-1 advantage heading into the reverse tie and are favourites to advance to the next stage of the competition.
Romelu Lukaku came on as a second-half substitute in the game but failed to take any of his chances. The Belgian then picked up an injury in the following game in the Premier League against Southampton. However, the Belgian has failed to recover from the knock and will miss the Champions League encounter confirmed Thomas Tuchel.
‘Callum Hudson-Odoi out, Ben Chilwell out, Romelu Lukaku will not travel’ said the Chelsea boss in his final press conference before Tuesday's second leg. The German also added that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who was diagnosed with Covid-19, is now free of the illness and available for selection again.
Chelsea re yet to disclose the full extent of Romelu Lukaku’s injury. But it is understood that he could miss a number of fixtures in the coming week. The Blues face Crystal Palace on the weekend in the FA Cup semi-final. They then face local rivals Arsenal and West Ham in the Premier League.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2022 04:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).