FanDuel Champions League Single-Game Helper: Real Madrid vs. Chelsea (4/27/21)

The Champions League, the best soccer competition on the planet, rolls on, and FanDuel is offering plenty of contests for Tuesday's and Wednesday's semi-final matches.

This article will focus on the single-game Tuesday slate, which starts at 3 p.m. EST.

Per EPL odds, Real Madrid (+130) are slight favorites in the first leg of this semi-final tie. Chelsea's odds come in at +240, with odds to draw set at +210. From an odds perspective, there is no clear favorite in this one, as you might expect from a Champions League semi-final.

Real Madrid enters Tuesday undefeated in their last 17 matches but with just one win and three draws in their last four. They sit second in La Liga, even with Barcelona on points (Barcelona has a game in hand), and two points behind Atletico Madrid. The Spanish giants have been held scoreless in three of their last four matches but have managed to produce four clean sheets in a row to avoid any defeats.

Chelsea enters Tuesday coming off a critical one-goal victory over West Ham on Saturday that elevated them into the top four in the Premier League with just five matches left to play. They have largely continued their exceptional run of form that saw them put together a 15-match undefeated streak from January to March.

In April, they suffered one horrible defeat to West Brom and a tight loss to Porto in the second leg of their quarterfinal clash yet managed a win over Manchester City in the FA Cup. All things considered, confidence should still be very high when they visit Real on Tuesday.

Here are some players to target at various salary ranges.

Forwards/Midfielders

Karim Benzema ($15), Real Madrid -- Benzema is one game removed from a 60.6-FanDuel-point performance in La Liga, which ended a two-game streak with fewer than 10.0 FanDuel points. Benzema has been exceptional this season with 21 goals and 7 assists in 29 La Liga appearances and 5 goals in seven Champion's league starts.

From early March to mid-April, he produced 30 or more FanDuel points in five of seven fixtures, with 8 goals and 1 assist during that stretch. Experience can provide an edge in huge fixtures and Benzema has plenty. He has the best odds to score (+130) of any player on the slate and is an excellent choice for the Captain spot in lineups on Tuesday.

Toni Kroos ($10), Real Madrid -- Madrid's midfield mastermind has the ninth-highest salary on the slate, which provides solid value given his role on free kicks and corners. Kroos will be returning following a three-game absence with an adductor injury but is reportedly ready to play, according to coach Zinedine Zidane.

Kroos struggled in the second-leg against Liverpool, producing just 6.5 FanDuel points, but before that, he had three consecutive performances with 22 or more FanDuel points. Like Benzema, Kroos isn't lacking in experience, and his slightly limited ceiling (only one game with more than 40.0 FanDuel points this season) is far less of a concern on a single-game slate with limited options available. His odds to score are listed at +550.

Mason Mount ($10), Chelsea -- Chelsea's attacking trio of Mount, Timo Werner ($14), and Kai Havertz ($11) will have a difficult task breaking down Madrid's backline on the road on Tuesday. Werner has the highest salary of the trio and finally broke a 10-game drought with a goal against West Ham on Saturday. Havertz was rested on Saturday and has been highly involved for Chelsea in April but has managed just two goals in 33 appearances this season.

Mount has been consistently productive since March, reaching double-digit FanDuel points in seven of nine fixtures, 20 plus FanDuel points in five of nine, and 30 plus in two of nine. He is coming off a six-shot performance against West Ham and offers the best combination of recent form and salary among the trio. His odds to score are +420.

Defenders

Reece James, Chelsea ($7) -- James made a four-minute appearance as a substitute on Saturday and should be rested and ready for Tuesday's clash with Madrid. He has double-digit FanDuel points in his last seven starts, with seven shots taken over that stretch. Operating on the right side of Chelsea's preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, he will have a difficult task on both ends of the pitch against Madrid. That said, Chelsea should be able to exploit the wide areas of the pitch when they do manage to retain possession, as James should easily win a battle of speed on the outside against Madrid's midfield. James' odds to score are +1000.

Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid ($8) -- Carvajal made his first start since February on Saturday, recording 8.2 FanDuel points in 68 minutes played. The start is a good sign that he is fully back from a muscle injury that sidelined him for nearly two months. Before his injury, he was consistently producing double-digit FanDuel points while operating on the right side of Madrid's backline. He's been battling injuries all season, but if he is healthy, he's a solid option on Tuesday and may go overlooked given his inconsistent availability thus far this season.