Three factors promise to decide the match Real - Chelsea

However, after a series of matches struggling to find his way into the opponent's goal, Potter seemed to be stuck with a 3-4-3 formation in all arenas, both at home and away. As a result, Chelsea met a series of bad results.

This left Potter squirming between three and four defenders, before being sacked. This inconsistent squad selection is said to be one of the 47-year-old's weaknesses in London.

After replacing Potter, Frank Lampard chose a 4-3-3 formation in his debut at Wolves in the 30th round of the Premier League. This is the preferred system of the English player, when applied at Derby, Everton and also during his first term at Stamford Bridge.

Lampard expected the use of a 4-3-3 formation and having more attacking players on the pitch to increase the efficiency of attack, but that did not happen. In the 0-1 loss to Wolves at Molineux Stadium over the weekend, Chelsea's expected goal index was 0.59, compared to 2.59 in Potter's last game in charge of Aston Villa.

Potter's team received much criticism for lack of sharpness, unable to score despite creating many opportunities. On the day of Lampard's debut, Chelsea even had difficulty creating opportunities. They finished 13 times with only one shot on target - Joao Felix's shot from outside the box went right into the position of goalkeeper Jose Sa.

The move to 4-3-3 not only negatively affected Chelsea's ability to create chances, but also threw them off balance in defence. Matheus Nunes' goal was a direct consequence of the lack of extra defenders that the 3-4-3 formation provided. Marc Cucurella was dragged into the box, allowing Nunes to catch the volley diagonally in an unaccompanied position. When defending, the 3-4-3 system changes to 5-4-1. With an extra man in defence, Nunes could be tagged and not so comfortable finishing.

"With the trip to Madrid, many fans are concerned that Lampard's addiction to the 4-3-3 scheme could lead to another night of suffering for Chelsea," commented British newspaper Sunsport.

For most clubs, when the defense is in a 4-3-3 formation, the winger will retreat and turn the system into 4-5-1. Over the years, under the leadership of Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool have always performed well. Ancelotti did not follow this trend. Real Madrid mainly defends in a 4-3-3 formation, but wingers rarely retreat. Therefore, the Champions League champions only defend four defenders and three midfielders. The mass and velocity of these stars are sufficient to destroy any disorderly defense during state transitions.

However, this style of play also makes Real lose balance in defense. Real full-backs are often isolated and can get into a one-on-two situation, by the opposing winger and full-back respectively.

This season, Real are averaging one goal per game - a high rate for a top club. Most of this goal came from the fact that the Real full-back was overwhelmed by the opponent and was exploited for his position. At that time, Real's nearest central defender was forced to come out to support, causing Real's defense to reveal a lot of space around the penalty area.

This is a weakness that Chelsea will certainly seek to exploit. Whether Lampard opts for a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3 formation, the "Blues" defenders and wingers can isolate the Real full-back to create opportunities. Chelsea's outcome will then depend on whether they can take advantage of such situations.

"Real likes chaos and is one of the best clubs in Europe that thrives on disorganization," Sunsport commented. This was reflected in their journey to winning the Champions League last season, when they successively won matches where tactics did not make much sense.

Keeping three strikers high can cause problems in the home half, but at the same time brings great benefits in the opposite half. With Ancelotti, even at the Bernabeu, Real will kick low, lure the opponent to rise and then counterattack sharply. When winning the ball, Benzema often moves between and attracts the attention of opposing centre-backs. This gives Real's wingers more space on both sides to receive the ball and dribble close to the box.

It is not excluded that Chelsea will have more control of the ball and at times put great pressure on at the Bernabeu today. But Lampard must be careful with the level of risk to avoid going into the "falling down" in his debut against Wolves in the 30th round of the Premier League over the weekend. This match, Chelsea controlled the ball 63%, shot 13 times with a shot on target, compared to 9 and 4 for the opponent, but still lost 0-1 because of Matheus Nunes' flash moment.

It was important that Lampard devised a strategy to help Chelsea maintain a threat when in possession, but still create a balance in defense to stand up to Real's counter-attacks.