It seems a long time ago since Chelsea visited Paris to take on PSG last month but the two meet again as Jose Mourinho’s men take a slight advantage into the second leg. After taking the lead through Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea were pegged back by an Edison Cavani equaliser and had to rely on Thibaut Courtois to secure a 1-1 draw three weeks ago. As you would expect from a Mourinho team, Chelsea’s home record in this competition has been pretty good. They have lost only one game in their last eight games but it was a very notable one, going down 3-1 to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their semi-final. In many ways that was a very untypical performance from Chelsea under this manager, and as we all know, the two time winner of this competition targets it every year.
PSG looked very good for much of the first leg but they will be disappointed that they could not take at least one more of their many good chances. We know that they came to London holding a 3-1 lead last season and still could not see it out, losing on away goals. Their also hasn’t been that air Of invincibility domestically as there was last season but they did see off Monaco – who were very impressive in their Champions League win over Arsenal – 2-0 in the French Cup last week, which may signal a return to the form needed to get a result here. They remain one point behind current leaders Lyon which has added to the pressure on manager Laurent Blanc. When you take into account the financial resources of PSG, winning Ligue 1 is an absolute must, whilst progression in the Champions League to at least the quarter final stage is also expected.
When you look through Chelsea’s form this season, it is easy to see why many people rate them as potential Champions League contenders. Their consistency and efficiency is evidenced by losing just three games all season. Two of those losses came away in the Premier League whilst the biggest surprise was at home to Bradford in the FA Cup. They remain unbeaten in this year’s Champions League but with all due respect to the likes of Sporting Lisbon and Schalke, they have not had the biggest of tests. PSG certainly tested them in the first leg and Mourinho will be wary of their pace on the counter at Stamford Bridge.
A front three of Zlatan, Cavani and Lucas Moura have pretty much everything you want in an attacking three; pace, fantastic technique, clinical finishers and supreme confidence. Despite that, there is till a concern that they do not function all that great as a trio. It has been widely reported that Zlatan and Cavani do not have a great relationship personally (which is hardly surprising) and that has been noticeable on the park at times. It was the Uruguayan who led the line in the 2-0 loss to Chelsea last season and he had a couple of excellent chances which would have all but sealed their passage to the next stage. He will be one player with huge motivation to make amends on Wednesday.
Many people will expect Chelsea to progress past PSG following a 1-1 draw away from home and finish them off without too much fuss at Stamford Bridge. They might well do but the away side were very impressive in Paris despite not managing to get the win. I have mentioned before that I think Chelsea have looked vulnerable of late and Mourinho has had a tendency to be over cautious in these situations. There is enough in the price of PSG to tempt me here, and the 100/30 on offer for an away win is the way to go here, as they look to avenge last season’s torment.
PSG 100/30@ @ Betfred
