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      Real Madrid vs Chelsea FREE: Live stream, TV channel, kick-off time and team news for Champions League semi-final

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      REAL MADRID are taking on Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final between two clubs from the European Super League.Like all English teams, Chelsea have pulled out of the hated competition, but Real Madrid president Florentino Perez insists it will still go ahead.
      Real Madrid made light work of Liverpool in the Champions League quarter-finalCredit: EPA
      Chelsea come into this one in excellent formCredit: AP
      Real Madrid have impressed in this competition so far, as they eased past Liverpool with a 3-1 aggregate quarter-final win.
      Chelsea meanwhile made light work of Atletico before surviving a late scare to get past Porto.
      What time does Real Madrid vs Chelsea kick off?

      Real Madrid take on Chelsea on Tuesday, April 26.
      The match kicks off at 8pm UK time – 9pm in Spain.
      It will be played at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.
      Chelsea have not met Real Madrid under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, but Gus Poyet netted the only goal when the teams last met in the 1998 Uefa Super Cup.

      What TV channel is Real Madrid vs Chelsea on and can I live stream it?

      Real Madrid vs Chelsea will be live on BT Sport 2.
      Coverage commences at 7pm – one hour before kick-off.
      To stream the game live, head to the BT Sport website or app.

      Can I watch Real Madrid vs Chelsea for free?

      EE customers can get BT Sport INCLUDED to their plan at no extra cost if they are on a plan with Smart Benefits – simply log in to EE and choose BT Sport app.
      And then get it on the big screen by texting SPORT to 150 to get a FREE three-month trial of large screen so you can cast all the action on your TV.
      At the end of the three months you will automatically roll onto the £15 per month subscription unless cancelled.

      Team news
      Toni Kroos is expected to overcome muscular discomfort to partner Luka Modric and Casemiro in Real Madrid’s first choice midfield line-up.
      Federico Valverde is still in isolation after testing positive for coronavirus while Sergio Ramos (calf), Lucas Vazquez (knee) and Ferland Mendy (calf) are all out.
      Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic will play no part against his former club, with Thomas Tuchel confirming he will miss out with a hamstring injury.
      Thiago Silva is back for the Blues after coming through their win against West Ham unscathed.
      Latest odds
      Real Madrid 13/10
      Draw 21/10
      Chelsea 9/4 More

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      Champions League final tickets: Are Chelsea fans allowed to attend and where is it being held?

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      THE Champions League is down to the final four.Though because of the global covid pandemic, the competition has had a very different look to it this year.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      The Champions League final will be in Istanbul
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      When is the Champions League final, and where is it being held?

      The Champions League final will take place on Saturday, May 29.
      The Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey will host the showpiece this season.
      The kick-off time has yet to be decided, though it is expected to begin at 8pm BST.

      The Ataturk Stadium plays host this year
      Can I get tickets?
      UEFA have revealed in their latest update that details are to follow soon on how you can get tickets to the big one.
      This will depend on what travel restrictions are in place at the time.
      UEFA said: “The UEFA Champions League Final 2021 will take place in Istanbul, Turkey in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on Saturday, 29 May 2021.
      “Information about the ticket sales for this match (availability of tickets, application deadline, ticket prices, etc.) should be communicated around end of April 2021.
      “More details will follow in due course.”

      What are the Champions League semi-finals?

      Semi-final second legs
      Tuesday, May 4
      Man City vs PSG (8pm BST)
      Wednesday, May 5
      Chelsea vs Real Madrid (8pm BST) More

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      Eden Hazard finally fit in time to face Chelsea with Real Madrid in Champions League semi-final

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      EDEN HAZARD is fit and ready for Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first-leg against old club Chelsea on Tuesday.The Belgian has had a torrid time with form and fitness since fulfilling his ambition of moving to the Bernabeu in a £130million deal in 2019.
      Eden Hazard is fit to face Chelsea for Real Madrid in the Champions LeagueCredit: EPA
      The Belgian is back in training after coming off the bench against Real Betis on SaturdayCredit: EPA
      Hazard, 30, has made just 15 appearances in all competitions this season – picking up his most recent injury in March.
      But he came off the bench in the 77th minute of Madrid’s 0-0 draw against Real Betis on Saturday.
      And boss Zinedine Zidane says the forward came through unscathed and is in contention to play when the Blues visit the Bernabeu on Tuesday.
      The Frenchman said: “He played 20 minutes the other day and he felt quite good.
      “The most important thing is that he doesn’t feel anything about his problem.
      “He’s quite well, he’s with us, he’s happy to be with us and contribute to the team a lot.”
      Zidane’s side set up a last four European clash with the Blues courtesy of a 3-1 aggregate victory over Liverpool in the quarter-finals.
      Despite reports in Spain suggesting Hazard would be fit to return to the squad, the Galacticos had to do without him as they drew 0-0 at Anfield to secure their progression.
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      Zinedine Zidane confirmed the winger is fit and ready to playCredit: EPA
      Hazard is set for an emotional reunion with Chelsea on TuesdayCredit: EPA
      How Chelsea could line up against Real Madrid

      Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea trumped Porto 2-1 on aggregate despite Mehdi Taremi’s incredible late overhead kick giving the Portuguese side a 1-0 win in the quarter-final second leg.
      And Hazard is in line for a dream reunion – something he said he wanted in a touching social media message he addressed to the Stamford Bridge faithful when he left.
      Chelsea will be without Mateo Kovacic for the mega-clash in Spain on Tuesday.
      But Kai Havertz is set for a recall as SunSport explored how the Blues are likely to line up against Real.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Premier League clubs set to take back crown as top European nation for first time in nine years after recent dominance

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      ENGLISH football is poised to reclaim the title of best in Europe – after NINE years.And if either Chelsea or Arsenal beat their Spanish opponents this week, England will be confirmed in top spot – even if all four remaining Prem clubs go out at the semi-final stage.
      Premier League clubs are on course to reclaim top spot in the European tableCredit: Getty
      The exploits of the Prem’s Euro battlers have seen England’s five-year Uefa coefficient score rise to 98.283 points.
      Two points are earned for every win and one for each draw in European competition, divided between the number of teams who have qualified – seven in the case of England – to provide an average score for each country.
      England started the season in second place behind Spain, who have been top of the Euro table since 2012.
      But while English clubs have accrued 22.071 points so far, Spain have gathered just 18.642, for a total of 96.997.
      With only Real Madrid and Villarreal left of LaLiga’s initial seven sides, Spain’s maximum possible final total is 98.711.
      England will be assured of topping that if Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United pick up just three draws, or a win and a draw, in their combined eight matches across both legs of the semi-finals.
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      But a win for either Chelsea against Real on Tuesday, or the Gunners against Unai Emery’s side on Thursday, will ensure England cannot be overtaken.
      The Prem last stood on top of the pile after Chelsea’s Champions League triumph in 2012.
      English football was at the head of the standings from the end of the 2007-08 season – when Chelsea met United in the Moscow Champions League final – for five years.
      But Spain then took over, with England actually falling below Germany and into third place in 2015-16 and then again the following campaign.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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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.

      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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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.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Florentino Perez was the man driving the ESL and insists his plans are ‘still alive’Credit: EPA

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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.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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