Although Chelsea seem to have a lot of problems in their squad these days, this is a tough game for my former club Real Madrid to handle and it will be crucial to get a lead at home in the Stadio Barnabe.
Two years ago, Chelsea knocked out Real Madrid in the quarterfinals after a draw in the first leg. I'm surprised to see Lambert back at Chelsea as interim manager, and I'm sure he'll be reminding the players that they've played Real Madrid out before.
But I think Real Madrid seems to be invincible in the Europa League, and Chelsea's defense seems to have a hard time defending against Real Madrid's onslaught. Vinz Oszulia will have an exciting battle with Reyes on the left, while Federico Valverdi will have a tough time with Chivier on the right. If the Galaxy's two wingers play well, and if they are able to create chances for Bensma, who scored two hat-tricks last week (one of them against Barcelona), I don't think the Blue Warriors will be able to stop the home team's offense.
Modigliani and Chios will be controlling the tempo of the game in the middle of the midfield, so the return of Nicolajandro is very important for Chelsea as he will try to disrupt their attacking and defending tempo. I'm also very interested to see how Ansel Fernandes performs, he hasn't been great since joining Chelsea, but he did a great job for Argentina in the World Cup and has a lot of individual ability.
Let's not forget that Zulfiaris is still a player of Sporting Madrid and will be full of fighting spirit when he returns to Madrid, so Real Madrid will need to keep a close eye on him.
But in the end, I think Galaxy have more quality and confidence than Chelsea, and will be able to take the lead with a home win in the first leg.
