Marseille vs Chelsea Betting Odds, Preview & Tips – Wednesday, December 8th

Marseille v Chelsea Betting Tip & Odds: What kind of character do Chelsea have in them at the moment? More lost points on the weekend, and now a tricky away match in Marseille. Not that the match has any real importance to anything, other than Chelsea would become the first English side to win all six matches in the Group Stage of the Champions League. Other than that, Chelsea have won the group, and Marseille won’t lose second place. So it is about pride, and perhaps for Chelsea the chance to take a breather and find some form, something which they are lacking lately, along with goals. While a defeat here wouldn’t mean anything for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, it would only spell more problems for the troubled club. Perhaps they need to bring back assistant coach Ray Wilkins. They haven’t won a match since he left. So, are Chelsea worth a bet for a win? Hard to say a positive yes to that one at the moment. You look at their team sheet and think yes, you look at the way they are playing and say no. A draw would keep everybody relatively happy one supposes, so that makes the most sensible bet. Draw/Draw Halftime/Fulltime bet 4/1 at Unibet (see promotion below)

Marseille to win: 11/8 at SkyBet
Draw: 12/5 at Stan James
Chelsea to win: 11/5 at Bet365

Champions League Match Preview: Well, just what is going on at Stamford Bridge? Chelsea blew more Premier League points on the weekend, with a 1-1 draw against Everton. Truthfully that was nothing less than they deserved after a terribly lethargic and disjointed second half performance. Chelsea are not a confidence side at the moment. That was clear. There is little cohesion through the midfield at the moment, and chances are simply not being created. The team that was going out and winning 6-0 at the start of the season, really has fallen by the wayside. Chelsea may just be glad to get out of the pressure of Stamford Bridge, and away from the Premier League for a moment, as they head to Marseille looking to round of the group with six wins from six. That will make impressive reading at the end of the day, but in the current climate of Chelsea’s stormy form, do they have the confidence to get it done? It’s hard to see that the moment, as they are not playing well. Fortunately for Chelsea, it is not going to jeapordise their Champions League campaign at the moment. Five wins from five have comfortably put them into the knockout stage as group winners, and they will have until next year to sort out their form by the time the knockout stages actually come along.

Chelsea’s last outing against Zilina ended in a 2-1 victory for the London side, but they were made to work for it. They dominated possession, and manager Carlo Ancelotti had thrown youngsters into the side, but after falling behind, it took until the end of the match for Salomon Kalou to win the match for them. It wasn’t impressive, and that sums Chelsea up at the moment. They are missing the 20 goals per season which Frank Lampard provides for them, that is extremely clear, while new midfield signing Ramires, well the jury is still out on him. There is just not the drive and fluidity through the Chelsea midfield at the moment without Frank Lampard there. That is a lot of pressure riding on the shoulders of the England midfielder, it is as if their entire season is resting upon his influence. Chelsea have gotten John Terry back into the centre of defence, and he was arguably Chelsea’s best player against Everton. He is as important to the cause as John Terry, but how can they cope without them? Will Ancelotti put some responsibility in some of his younger players again for the trip to Marseille, or will he stick with his main corp, to try and get them playing well together. It may be the latter, because that is what Ancelotti needs, and to be frank, there is not the quality of depth at the club to afford too many changes away from home.

The setup is the same for Chelsea, the confidence has gone. They were extremely nervy against Everton, and instead of pushing on to secure a good win, they sat back and invited trouble. But this is the Champions League now and it may just be a welcome breath of fresh air for Ancelotti. A solid win, and putting a few chances in the back of the net would probably serve them very well for the rest of December. Nicolas Anelka, who was bizarrely substituted for Ramires against Everton when Chelsea needed a second goal, has been the key man for the Blues in Europe, and he will be worth an Anytime Goalscorer bet back in his home country. So too will Didier Drogba, as the talismanic striker, who netted the penalty against Everton on the weekend, returns to the home of his former club. The club who sold him to Chelsea. He would enjoy getting on the score sheet, and it’s always worth having a punt on little bits of trivia like this. Do Chelsea have enough in them to win this one? Even though they are in poor form, you have to look at them to not lose the match. Their defence is still lean, and they may just get a bit of extra space to both create and finish chances in this European match.

Marseille have nothing to play for in the Group. They are in second place and that is how they will stay. Their huge goal difference over third placed CSKA Moscow has made sure of that. Marseille started slow, but then came good to make second place in the group their own. Finally Didier Deschamps’ men came good, with an impressive showing in beating Moscow, the crucial match as to who would finish second. That came off the back of a 7-0 thumping of Zilina, so they are riding on a big of a confidence wave at the moment. A home victory against Chelsea would be a big moral victory for them after losing at Stamford Bridge. However, Marseille are on a poor run of form at home against English clubs though. They have now lost their last four home ties against English opposition in Europe, although they did beat Chelsea in the competition, way back in the 1999/2000 event, when Olympic Marseille’s Robert Pires scored for a 1-0 victory. Expect the French side to hold their own at home.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Unibet are offering refunds on lost Champions League bets, which are well worth taking advantage of. The highly recommended online bookmaker will give refunds on all losing Halftime/Fulltime and First Goalscorer/Last Goalscorer bets on any Champions League match, if that game ends in a 0-0 draw. Unibet, who run a fantastic website with excellent support and services, also offer a free £20 sports book betting bonus when you open a new account

 
Marseille 2010/11 Champions League Form: LLWWW
Chelsea 2010/11 Champions League Form: WWWWW