Will Eden Hazard play against Chelsea in the Champions League? Hazard injury update

On Wednesday, Real Madrid, holding a 3-1 lead from last week’s first leg, put in a pragmatic performance at Anfield to hold Liverpool to a 0-0 draw and advance to the Champions League semifinal for the first time in three years. The LaLiga giants will now square off against Chelsea, who overcame Porto in their two-legged quarter-final tie. However, football fans have been curious to know whether or not Real Madrid's Eden Hazard will be fit enough to play against his former employers. 

UCL semi-finals: Real Madrid vs Chelsea date and schedule

The first of the two games between Real Madrid and Chelsea will take place at the end of April, with the second leg scheduled to take place in the first week of May. The exact date and time for the games are yet to be confirmed by UEFA. This will be the first time these two teams meet on the European stage. 

Chelsea will be making their first semi-finals appearance in the Champions League since the 2013-14 season. Thomas Tuchel's side earned a vital 2-1 aggregate win against Porto over the two games that were held in Seville. Meanwhile, 13-time European champions Real Madrid brushed past Liverpool despite fielding a depleted side over the two legs. 

Eden Hazard injury update: Will Eden Hazard play against Chelsea in the Champions League? 

Eden Hazard was not be risked by Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Liverpool. The Belgian returned to training more than a week ago following an ankle injury but wasn't included in the squad that travelled to Anfield. However, it now remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit to face his former employers, Chelsea, in the semi-finals of the UCL. 

Hazard has made just 13 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions following another injury-laden campaign. Although Zidane and Real Madrid haven't put a timescale on Hazard's potential return, reports suggest that the 30-year-old is expected to feature against Chelsea later this month, barring any further setbacks. Real Madrid are also expected to have their centre-back duo of Raphael Varana and Sergio Ramos back in time for the UCL semi-finals.

Hazard spent seven memorable seasons with Chelsea before making the switch to Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth €150 million. He won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his time at Stamford Bridge. In his debut season with Real Madrid, Hazard won LaLiga but was injured for the vast majority of the season. 

 

 

Image Credits - Real Madrid Instagram