Chelsea face hazard in Eden

MADRID • It is fair to say that Eden Hazard has not lived up to expectations since moving to Real Madrid for a club-record fee of €100 million (S$160.2 million) in July 2019.

The Belgian international left Chelsea with a reputation as one of the best players to have graced the Premier League in his seven years at Stamford Bridge but the 30-year-old has not been able to light up La Liga the same way he did in the English top flight.

Recurring injuries meant he played only 22 games in all competitions last season and he has fared even worse this term, making just 13 appearances.

His inability to stay fit - he has yet to play a full 90 minutes - has led Spanish media to write him off as a flop and "made of glass".

However, the forward has recovered from his latest injury setback in time to face his former club after making a 15-minute cameo appearance as Real were held to a goalless draw by Real Betis over the weekend.

It would be ironic after all the problems Hazard has had if he can prove to the sceptical Madrid faithful he is not over the hill by starring in the reigning La Liga champions' biggest game of the season so far - the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

Blues manager Thomas Tuchel is expecting Hazard to show his class even if he comes off the bench at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium today, saying at his pre-match press conference: "Eden is a top-quality player, he was a key player at this club and in this league, we have the biggest respect for him.

"Many people know him well but we don't only talk about him... He is fit, had a comeback in the last game. If he plays, I am sure he wants to make a point."

Chelsea are in the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2014 but Tuchel feels his players have bought into his big-game mentality since he replaced Frank Lampard in January.

They are defensively sound, having recorded 10 clean sheets in 14 Premier League games, and are fighting on three fronts - the FA Cup final against Leicester, the top four and in Europe.

Real may be 13-time European Cup winners, but Chelsea are not intimidated, Tuchel insisted.

"Tomorrow we need clearly a top-level performance," the German, who revealed Mateo Kovacic was his only absentee, said yesterday.

Attacker Eden Hazard made only 22 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid last season and the 30-year-old has fared even worse this term, making just 13.

"The good thing is we have the experience together, we've had tough, tight matches... So we feel that it's a good moment to play this match, and we want to play hungry and we want to play adventurous."

Real coach Zinedine Zidane hailed Chelsea as "a complete team that attacks and defends well".

The Frenchman said: "They've done their job in the Champions League and are here, just like us.

"Both teams are experienced in every competition and we'll have to put in two very good performances to get through to the final. We're preparing for that and we're going to fight from the first minute to the last."

Zidane has more absentees than Tuchel with captain Sergio Ramos, Ferland Mendy, Lucas Vazquez and Federico Valverde all missing, but he is ready to hand Hazard his first reunion with Chelsea, claiming "he's going to bring a lot to the team".

REUTERS

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