Chelsea v Inter Milan – Champions League Betting

Youngster Ross Turnbull will have the biggest match of his life, and could influence the Champions League betting for Chelsea v Inter Milan. Goalkeeper Turnbull starts in the Chelsea v Inter Milan Champions League match on Tuesday night. The Blues have been boosted by the return of centre half Ricardo Carvalho, who will likely step back into the line up, taking the place of Brazilian Alex. Stamford Bridge will be expectant of receiving another great Champions League display by their team, and Carlo Ancelotti has to mastermind the downfall of opposite number Jose Mourinho. Inter Milan, who are favourites to clinch Serie A, will be defending a 2-1 lead at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. The teams had contrasting fortunes in their last domestic matches, with Chelsea winning 4-1 at West Ham on Saturday, and Inter crashing to a shock 3-1. Mourinho did make changes for that game, holding back some players for Tuesday. Maybe though, those results will just be the amount of momentum which can turn big games like this.

Chelsea will look to join Manchester United in the last 8 of the champions league, after they saw their Premier League rivals thump David Beckham’s AC Milan 4-0 at Old Trafford. With Drogba amongst the goals on the weekend, and taking some heart from certain elements of the performance in Rome in the first leg, Chelsea have every right to be confident of getting one over on their old boss. Much of the players at Chelsea are there because of Jose Mourinho, and they put on a decent, if not clinical enough performance in their first leg. In many ways it was a managerial and tactical victory for Mourinho, not allowing Chelsea’ three-pronged attack to really threaten. Although they conceded a lot of room in the middle of the park to Chelsea, the Blues were stifled up front, their only reward coming from a long shot from Salomon Kalou. That could be the vital away goal on Tuesday night, and it was important to come away from Rome with something, even if the win evaded them.

Inter very much played a counter attacking game in the first leg, with Chelsea having plenty of possession, but unable to make an impact in the final third. The Inter defence looked tight and organised, and that will be the biggest problem which Chelsea will have to deal with again. They will need to protect the rookie Turnbull at the back, and find the right balance in going forward, as an away goal for Inter would be somewhat devastating. Having won their Group, Chelsea have good home advantage in the second leg of this fixture, and the atmosphere of this special night, should see them through. The goalkeeping issue, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien aside, Chelsea should have a full compliment of players to choose from, and it will be a side brimming with experience, especially in midfield.

As much press fuss and furore there was over David Beckham’s return to Old Trafford, much has been made about Joe Mourinho’s first visit to Stamford Bridge since parting company with the London club. Mourinho brought the Premier League title to Stamford Bridge, but the Champions League has always just evaded them. Carlo Ancelotti, who has tasted victory in the Champions League with AC Milan, was brought in to try and turn all of that around. There are rumours of dislike between the two managers, and it will be interesting to see how the Stamford Bridge crowd welcome the Special One back. Of course, Mourinho is taking it all in his stride, But the question simply is, are Chelsea two goals better than the Italian outfit? While a 1-0 win would suffice for the Blues, the two goal cushion will give them the safe and comfortable passage through.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Inter Milan 1, Chelsea 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea – 11 For, 7 Against
Inter Milan – 6 For, 6 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Chelsea: W6, D1, L3
Inter Milan: W5, D4, L1

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have an 87.0 win percentage at home
Inter Milan have a 47.1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 8/13 at Bet365
Draw: 3/1 at Victor Chandler
Inter Milan to win: 5/1 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: The Bookies don’t seem to fancy an Inter Milan win much, but the Italians are a stubborn side and are not top of Serie A for no reason. They are an organised side, and a Mourinho side, which means they are happy going out and winning every game 1-0. Chelsea’s home record is something they can be proud of, but so equally is Mourinho’s Stamford Bridge record. Mourinho never lost in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge in his three and a half years there, and only suffered one defeat in the Champions League against Barcelona. They will be a hard side to break down, but Chelsea do have enough goals in them to break through.
Chelsea -0.75 Asian Handicap: 4/5 at Bet365