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      How Chelsea could line-up against Real Madrid with Kovacic out and Havertz brought in for Champions League semi-final

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      CHELSEA travel to Real Madrid for their Champions League semi-final first-leg on Tuesday.The Blues will be without Mateo Kovacic but Thomas Tuchel could be set to recall Kai Havertz to the starting XI.
      How Chelsea could line up against Real Madrid
      Chelsea go into the game off the back of a narrow 1-0 win over top-four rivals West Ham on Saturday.
      N’Golo Kante and Jorginho started in central midfield at the London Stadium and they will probably do so again at the Bernabeu as Kovacic is still not ready to return from his hamstring injury.
      The Blues have not conceded in their last three games and after another clean sheet at the weekend, Tuchel could start with the same back-five.
      Cesar Azpilicueta and Ben Chilwell were wing-backs with Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger in the middle.
      But Reece James is also back in contention meaning Azpilicueta could drop back into the central three which could see Christensen harshly dropped after a brilliant display at West Ham.
      Timo Werner will start again after ending his goal drought in East London with his first goal in seven games.
      Regular starter Mason Mount will play in an attacking role and Havertz could be recalled.
      Christian Pulisic is likely to be the one to drop out having not scored since Crystal Palace away on April 10.
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      Thomas Tuchel has some selection dilemmas on his hands

      But Hakim Ziyech is also in with a shout of a start having scored the winner in Chelsea’s recent FA Cup semi-final win against Manchester City at Wembley.
      There is also an outside chance Marcos Alonso could be drafted back in if Tuchel decides to keep it tight for the first leg in Spain.
      But that would be harsh on Chilwell who looked composed on Saturday.
      Tuesday’s mega-clash could have an extra layer of drama as Chelsea are said to be leading the race to sign Real centre-back Raphael Varane.
      The Frenchman is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract and has yet to agree terms on an extension.
      That could force the LaLiga giants to cash in this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing the following year.
      The defender, who celebrated his 28th birthday yesterday, remains a key man for Zinedine Zidane’s side and has only missed five games this campaign.
      But Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo claims he remains unconvinced about committing his future to Madrid.
      They report Chelsea are willing to splash out £61million to bring the World Cup winner to Stamford Bridge.

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      Bayern Munich 2 Chelsea 1: Hayes plots Chelsea fightback after Blues suffer away defeat in Europe

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      EMMA HAYES believes Chelsea will bounce back from their disappointing loss after Bayern Munich drew first blood in their Champions League semi-final. A fierce Hanna Glas strike saw the Blues beaten 2-1 in an entertaining first-leg – although the visitors nabbed a precious away goal. 
      Emma Hayes is expecting Chelsea to best Bayern in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final duelCredit: Reuters
      Hanna Glas’s strike helped Bayern seal a 2-1 home win but Chelsea an away goal to take back to KingsmeadowCredit: Getty
      And the result – which is the first loss Chelsea have endured in Europe this term – ended the Blues’ run of 13 games undefeated across all competitions. 
      Hayes said: “The goals were two really poor ones to concede.
      “One was a cross we prepped for and the other for me was massively disappointing considering it’s come from a throw-in.
      “But it’s half-time, we’ve got an away goal. Bayern have played their last few games conceding goals and they’ve changed their shape.
      “When teams do that it presents different challenges.
      “The game could very easily have gone 3-1 and been a much bigger task for us so we’re not out of it. 
      “I will take the pluses and take time to reflect.” 
      Chelsea took to the field without injured skipper Magda Eriksson, who has played a key role in leading the Blues’ defensive efforts this season. 
      Sydney Lohmann was on target for Bayern Munich against ChelseaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      When quizzed on the length of Eriksson’s absence Hayes added: “You’re going to ask me the question and then spend all week saying ‘am I f***ing about with you all?’. 
      “The realities are, she’s had a calf injury that we hoped would be ready, and often you go out on the training pitch, it might be alright in one moment, the next day it wasn’t. 
      “We were hopeful she was going to make this one, it just wasn’t enough. She needed a couple more days. 
      “But if I say that to you, everybody’s going to say ‘she’s kidding us again’ going into next week, so the reality is, I don’t know, I just hope she’s available.”
      After a tense opening ten minutes, the hosts took the lead in Munich following a rare error from Ann-Katrin Berger. 
      The German keeper appeared to misjudge the flight of a dangerous cross from Glas.  
      Melanie Leupolz scored a precious away goal for the Blues against her former teamCredit: Avalon.red
      And Sydney Lohmann was able to capitalise to head her team in front in the 11th minute.
      But Chelsea refused to be fazed and hit back moments after the 20th-minute with a bizarre goal netted by Melanie Leupolz. 
      The former Bayern skipper unwittingly scored after Simone Laudehr headed the ball into her face following a Guro Reiten free-kick. 
      Chelsea gained some momentum from their equaliser.  
      And they had a chance to go ahead minutes before the half-hour mark, with Guro Reiten feeding Harder, who curled a right-footed effort just wide of Laura Benkarth’s top corner. 
      Blues frontwoman Sam Kerr then saw her effort in the box thwarted by a brilliantly timed 31st-minute tackle by Marina Hegering. 
      Sam Kerr will be hoping to get on the score sheet against Bayern at KingsmeadowCredit: AFP
      The second half saw the hosts up the ante with Dutch forward Lineth Beerensteyn making a 40-yard dash before Berger swiped the ball from her foot.  
      But the hosts retook the lead with Glas unleashing a left-footed boomer from 20 yards. 
      Chelsea, who brought on Beth England, had a superb opportunity to level again in the game’s late stages 
      Ji So-yun saw her thunderous strike hit the underside of the bar with Beth England unable to head in the rebound in the 74th minute. 
      Ji So-yun saw her thunderous strike hit the underside of Lena Benkarth’s crossbarCredit: Reuters
      And the South Korea playmaker saw her injury-time free-kick saved by Benkarth with the German league leaders wrapping up the win.
      Bayern head Jens Scheuer praised the effort of Glas who proved to be a thorn in Chelsea’s side. 
      Scheuer said: “For me, she is one of the best right-backs in the world. She has already assisted with a lot of goals. 
      “That’s what we want to see from her, expect from her.”
      Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Bayern head coach Jens Scheuer says Hanna is one of the best right-backs in the worldCredit: Reuters
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      European Super League plotters face Champions League BAN next season as Uefa chief compares them to ‘flat-Earthers’

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      EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE clubs could face a Champions League ban next season.And Uefa chief Alexander Ceferin even compared the breakaway rebels to ‘flat-Eathers’ for their outdated views their plot could still succeed.
      Alexander Ceferin promised to punish the rebel clubs who attempted their European Super League breakawayCredit: AP
      A week on from the bombshell announcement from the 12 European clubs hoping to form a new franchise-style competition, the Slovenian is determined to ensure they are punished.
      On Tuesday, the six Premier League rebels all withdrew their intention to join the ESL, the brainchild of Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
      And that is likely to see the English clubs’ sanctions more lenient than other ringleaders Real, Barcelona and Juventus – who are so out of touch with reality it is like they believe the Earth is not round, according to Ceferin.
      He threatened to suspend the clubs from Europe’s elite club competition and told the Mail on Sunday: “Let’s see. Everyone has to take consequences for what they did and we cannot pretend nothing happened.
      “You cannot do something like that and just say, ‘I’ve been punished because everybody hates me’.
      “They don’t have problems because of anyone else but themselves. It’s not OK what they did and we will see in next few days what we have to do.
      “But for me it’s a clear difference between the English clubs and the other six. They pulled out first, they admitted they made a mistake. You have to have some greatness to say, ‘I was wrong’.”
      Ceferin continued: “For me there are three groups of this 12 – the English six, who went out first, then the other three [Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Inter] after them and then the ones who feel that Earth is flat and they think the Super League still exists.
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      “And there is a big difference between those. But everyone will be held responsible. In what way, we will see.
      “I don’t want to say disciplinary process but it has to be clear that everyone has to be held responsible in a different way.
      “Is it disciplinary? Is it the decision of the executive committee? We will see. It’s too early to say.”
      Perez is convinced the ESL will still go ahead in some format – especially because he claims the clubs are legally bound by the contracts they signed.
      Ceferin, who was driving to Nyon to implement reforms to the Champions League when the news broke, previously stated how he felt betrayed by the owners involved in the plot – especially the father of his godchild and Juve chief Andrea Agnelli.

      The Uefa president hailed the unified response of pundits, fans and politicians in England to help stamp out the rebellion plans within 48 hours.
      He said: “Look, honestly speaking I was completely impressed by the reaction of the fans, the whole football community and not just the football community but I would say society. I have never seen this.
      “Uefa did its part, the clubs that stood with us did their part. And of course, the UK Government out of all did the big part. But by far the biggest part was done by fans.
      “Absolutely I was impressed by the reaction of UK Government. I had a phone conversation with Prime Minister Johnson and State Secretary Dowden many times in these 48 crazy hours.
      “They were on the right side of history at the right time. And this is impressive.”
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      Florentino Perez was the man driving the ESL and insists his plans are ‘still alive’Credit: EPA

      Real Madrid chief Perez insists European Super League still alive More

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      Chelsea blow as Mateo Kovacic is ruled OUT of Champions League semi-final first-leg against Real Madrid through injury

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      MATEO KOVACIC will miss the first leg of Chelsea’s Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid due to injury.The midfielder suffered a hamstring issue prior to the second leg against Porto in the previous round.
      Mateo Kovacic will be absent for the Champions League first leg against Real Madrid – but could be back to face Fulham next weekend
      Kovacic has now missed Chelsea’s last three games and Thomas Tuchel, who had hoped the Croatian would be available mid-week, revealed Kovacic will not be available.
      Speaking ahead of the crucial 1-0 win against West Ham, Tuchel said: “Mateo Kovacic is still out, but the rest are available.
      “I think we can hope he will make the game against Fulham [May 1], between the games against [Real] Madrid, but that is not certain.
      “For him to play against Madrid I do not think it is possible, but Fulham is a realistic goal for him.”
      The development is a big setback for The Blues as Kovacic has been a key part of the team this year, with 39 appearances.
      Tuchel is a big fan of the 26-year-old due to his dedication to the team and the fact he is “super reliable”.
      The German will likely instead continue with a midfield trio of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante and Mason Mount, as they have started in recent matches.
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      But Chelsea have missed Kovacic, losing to Porto and only managing a draw against Brighton without him this week.
      They did beat West Ham but losing a player of Kovacic’s quality could hinder their chances of beating Los Blancos.
      Tuchel will be hoping his midfielder is back soon because of that, particularly as Chelsea are still competing on three different fronts.
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      Ilkay Gundogan calls Uefa reforms ‘lesser of two evils’ as he insists fight isn’t over despite ESL plot being crushed

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      MANCHESTER CITY star Ilkay Gundogan has blasted Uefa and called the revamped Champions League the ‘lesser of two evils’ amid the collapse of the European Super League.His club announced on Tuesday night they were pulling out of the controversial breakaway after backlash from fans and criticism from players.
      Ilkay Gundogan has blasted Uefa’s new Champions League formatCredit: Getty
      The UCL format right now works great and that is why it’s the most popular club competition in the world – for us players and for the fans.— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) April 22, 2021

      And City boss Pep Guardiola even refused to call it sport when quizzed about it.
      Two squad members of the Premier League leaders, Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte, both used their social media platforms to publicly condemn the proposal earlier in the week.
      Now Gundogan has become the latest City star to express his views as he also slammed Uefa’s new format for the Champions League.
      He wrote: “With all the Super League stuff going on… can we please also speak about the new Champions League format?
      “More and more and more games, is no one thinking about us players.
      “The new UCL format is just the lesser of the two evils in comparison to the Super League.
      “The UCL format right now works great and that is why it’s the most popular club competition in the world – for us players and for the fans.”
      The Champions League will be revamped and expanded from 32 clubs to 36 per season, with the initial group stage scrapped and replaced by a single league.
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      How the revamped tournament will lookCredit: The Sun

      Each team will play 10 matches, five home and five away, against opponents seeded for strength, under the so-called ‘Swiss model’.
      After the 10 matches, scheduled to be extended into the last week of January, we will then be left with the final table.
      The top eight will go straight through to the knock-out stage, with the teams finishing ninth to 24th playing off in two-legged ties to join them in the last 16 and the bottom eight out of the competition.
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      Real Madrid chief Perez insists European Super League still alive More

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      Leaked Euro Super League documents show clubs face £130m bill for pulling out and Real and Barca were getting £50m more

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      LEAKED documents reportedly signed by the 12 founders of the European Super League have revealed clubs could face a £130MILLION bill to pull out.The contract, shown by German outlet Der Spiegel, outlined the huge fees being prepared for the continent’s biggest clubs.
      Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez spearheaded the European Super LeagueCredit: EPA
      Der Spiegel’s leak revealed an extra £52million payment to both Real and BarcelonaCredit: Twitter @Rafanelli
      And with the project now kicked into touch after the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ withdrew, those involved could now be involved in bitter legal wrangling over millions of pounds.
      The documents show that clubs would have to organise broadcasting themselves – and if they wanted out of the deal it would cost £130m.
      Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund also feature as ESL organisers attempted to woo the dissenting clubs, offering them extra time to formally commit after the announcement.
      Am ‘Infrastructure Grant’ topping £3BILLION was divvied up in the details, with founders set to for mega payments.
      The 15 proposed clubs were split into three groups with Borussia, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid handed the lowest figure.
      Some £116m was promised to each of the quartet for their slice of the grant, 88.5 per cent of which was to be spread across the founders.
      All six English clubs as well as Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern were set to take home £236m each.
      While Barcelona and Real Madrid were both obliged to be awarded an extra £52m, according to the leak.
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      Payments spread over two years with the Clasico rivals benefiting from ‘the distribution of Net Media Revenues’ for the first two seasons.
      Further plans to maximise earnings were afoot as clubs were allowed the right to exclusively broadcast four games of the regular ESL season on their own media channels.
      That meant fans would have to directly pay their club for the right to watch via an official website, television channel or mobile app.
      The ESL collapsed only 48 hours after it was announced when the Premier League founders; Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool quit under intense fan pressure.

      MORE ON SUPER LEAGUE OUTRAGE

      United, Arsenal and Liverpool in particular have faced fan protests calling for the club owners to sell up and leave.
      Potential consequences are also likely to arise from Uefa, the Prem authorities and angry ESL organisers.
      Real Madrid club president Florentino Perez has hit out at those attempting to leave the project, insisting that it is not dead but on ‘standby’.
      But American investment bank JP Morgan, who were bankrolling the Super League to the tune of £3.5BILLION, have pulled their backing.
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      Chelsea clash with Real Madrid in Champions League in ‘small’ doubt as Uefa chief hint leaves Florentino Perez fuming

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      UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says there is still a possibility that Chelsea’s game with Real Madrid will be binned.The Champions League semi-finalists signed up to the European Super League that collapsed in dramatic fashion 48 hours after its unveiling.
      Florentino Perez (left) and Aleksander Ceferin (right) are at war over the ESLCredit: PA
      Chelsea are due to face Real Madrid in the Champions League next weekCredit: Getty
      Furious Ceferin, 53, vowed to crack down on the 12 sides who attempted to usurp the governing body’s competitions.
      And he has left the door open to kicking any of the involved teams out of THIS YEAR’S Champions League.
      He told Slovenian TV channel 24UR, via Marca: “The key is that this season has already started, so broadcasters would come at us for damages if we don’t play the semi-finals.
      “So, there’s a relatively small possibility that this match isn’t played next week.
      “But, things could be a little different in the future.”
      Real club president Florentino Perez was one of the key figures behind the ESL, which he has claimed is on ‘standby’.
      Speaking to El Larguero, he criticised Ceferin and spoke of his desire for an ‘educated’ Uefa boss.
      He insisted: “I’m not afraid of retaliation from Uefa, but I’m worried.
      “The president said on Financial Fair Play that it was necessary to protect those who financially support their teams. Everyone interprets it as they want.
      “We had prepared for everyone from every place to speak. We were killed with terrible aggression.”
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      Perez added that he ‘does not understand’ why Chelsea versus Real Madrid may be abandoned.
      The tie kicks off in Spain next Tuesday before the Stamford Bridge return leg on May 5.
      Ceferin added: “If these clubs want to play in our competition again, they will have to get close to us.
      “And we will have to evaluate what happened, but I don’t want to go into details, as we are still talking to our legal team.

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      “I would say that the English clubs have made a very good decision and we will take that into account.
      “They admitted their mistake and realised they were wrong. We all make mistakes. In a way, I was disappointed with everyone, but I must say that maybe Barcelona are the ones that disappointed me the least.
      “[Club president Joan] Laporta was elected very recently and I spoke to him two or three times. He was under great pressure due to the financial situation he inherited.”
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      Champions League revamp explained after major changes missed amid European Super League uproar, as group stage SCRAPPED

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      THE chaos caused by the Super League shambles meant far-reaching changes to the existing European competitions passed by almost unnoticed.Uefa rubber-stamped its proposals, backed by national associations, for a major revamp to start from the 2024-25 season and to run for at least nine years.
      Uefa have rubber-stamped their proposals for the Champions League revampCredit: EPA
      How the revamped tournament will lookCredit: The Sun
      SunSport explains what was agreed:
      So what is the new plan?
      The Champions League will be revamped and expanded from 32 clubs to 36 per season, with the initial group stage scrapped and replaced by a single league.
      How do you fit in another 70 games?
      You can’t. And they won’t. Instead, each team will play 10 matches, five home and five away, against opponents seeded for strength, under the so-called ‘Swiss model’.
      After the 10 matches, scheduled to be extended into the last week of January, we will have the final table.
      Then what happens?
      The top eight will go straight through to the knock-out stage, with the teams finishing ninth to 24th playing off in two-legged ties to join them in the last 16 and the bottom eight out of the competition.
      There will be no trapdoor to the Europa League.
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      Then it’s a normal knock-out?
      Not completely. Uefa is considering seeding the entire draw from the last 16 stage, so that the top two in the League stage can avoid each other until the Final.
      And it is increasingly likely that the semi-final stage will be merged with the showpiece event into a ‘Final Four’ series of sudden death matches at the end of May.

      Who will make up the teams involved?
      Uefa think the current system, involving four guaranteed places for the leading four nations – currently England, Spain, Germany and Italy – should remain.
      But the four extra places will go to the fourth team in the fifth-ranked League – currently France although they could be overtaken by Portugal – one to an extra side from the play-off ‘champions’ path’ and two for ‘the clubs with the highest club coefficient over the last five years who have not qualified for the group stage but have for European competition’.
      The revamp will also effect the Europa League competitionCredit: Getty
      The what?
      Every team who enters European competition earns ‘coefficient points’ for wins, draws and qualification bonuses.
      These will be calculated over five years, effectively providing a backdoor route for major teams who have a relative nightmare domestically but still finish in a European place.
      If adopted this season, based on current league tables, the two boosted clubs would be Liverpool (sixth in the Prem) and Dortmund (fifth in the Bundesliga). West Ham (fifth) would stay in the Europa League.
      Talking of the Europa League…
      Both the Europa League and the new Uefa Conference League, due to start next season, will also be expanded to 36 teams.
      But teams would play just eight matches in the Europa and six in the Conference league stages, allowing exclusive Champions League programmes, with matches also played on a Thursday, on two weeks.
      Is this a fixed idea?
      In outline yes. The basics have been approved by all relevant parties and it is envisaged that the extension from 125 Champions League games per season to 225 will bring in as much as an extra £500m per season in TV and sponsorship packages alone.
      But the Super League rebellion has already brought arguments that the coefficient places should be scrapped as punishment with more champions from smaller countries qualifying automatically.
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