Chelsea’s European dynasty faces its sharpest test yet
The holders’ astonishing domestic form meets an unbeaten Athletico Madrid in a quarter-final that will send its winner to the semi-finals.
On 8 April, those claims meet in a tie where pedigree offers no protection and the prize is a place in the semi-finals.
The first leg at Chelsea is the opening of two contests, not a verdict: the return is at Athletico Madrid on 16 April. In their domestic leagues, Athletico Madrid and Chelsea are both top, with 66 and 82 points respectively from 20 games. That domestic contrast is a measure of pressure, not a substitute for the European standings: this tie will alter neither league table.
Chelsea’s European campaign has been formidable: nine wins from 10 games, with one defeat, a 3-2 loss to Olympique Lyonnais on 18 September. They have won every league-phase match since, and have now gone nine league games unbeaten in the competition. Athletico’s return is harder to fault: nine wins and a draw from 10, with no defeat. Their sole non-win was a 0-0 draw with Juventus in the UEFA Champions League, also on 18 September.
The English Premier Division leaders bring a seven-match winning run and 82 points from 29 games. Athletico lead the Spanish First Division on 66 points from 30, with a recent league sequence of defeat, draw, then three wins. That domestic contrast matters as a measure of pressure, not as a substitute for the European standings: this tie will alter neither league table.
The recent meetings make Chelsea’s task look less forbidding than the league-phase numbers suggest. Chelsea beat Athletico 5-0 on 19 July last year and 2-0 on 7 July. That shoot-out is the warning against treating the two summer wins as a settled argument.
There will be familiar faces on both sides. Alan Kardec returns to Chelsea, where he played 446 games and scored 44 goals. He is not the only former Chelsea player in Athletico’s ranks: Mario Cardozo, Abraham Weah, Jake Woolley and José Henrique Arósio also once wore blue. Chelsea have their own link in Ken Myers, formerly of Athletico.
The latest European crown is no inheritance.
The old order says Chelsea should be feared. The standings say Athletico are marginally ahead, and their unbeaten league campaign says they will not be cowed by the occasion. Chelsea have the home leg and the longer recent sequence of wins. They will need to make those advantages count before the tie moves to Spain.