Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea FC
Competition: UEFA Champions League
Match date: 11 March 2015
Kick Off Time: 19:45 GMT
Venue: Stamford Bridge (London, England)
Chelsea FCfind themselves in a much stronger position
than last season when they welcomed Paris Saint-Germain to Stamford Bridge with a 1:3
deficit. But a well-fought 1:1 draw in the first leg has the hosts in
prime position to advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday evening. The
ever-reliable Branislav Ivanovic bagged the goal for the Blues in the
French capital, but it was arguably backup goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois
who took man of the match honors with a number of fantastic saves. In
truth, they were a bit lucky to have escaped the Parc des Princes
unbeaten, as Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a few opportunities that proved
his mortality. Now, the hosts will enter the midweek with a camp full of
confidence, as not only have they recently claimed the ELC title but they are also 5 points clear of the rest of the pack in
the EPL with a game in hand as well. Furthermore, they are
unbeaten in 21 of their last 22 home matches in all competitions,
claiming victory on 17 of those occasions. While last season’s hero in
this fixture was the departed Demba Ba, summer signing Diego Costa is
even more of a threat up top and will be eager to get back to scoring
ways after slumping a bit since returning from a multiple-match
suspension. While this game may take extra time for the Blues to
advance, advance they should as they push on in their treble quest in
2015.
Paris Saint-Germain have temporarily stolen 1st place from
Lyon with a comfortable 4:1 win over Lens on Saturday. Lyon will play on
Sunday and the Parisians’ place atop the pile could be short-lived, but
their crushing win will have given them confidence ahead of their clash
with Chelsea. They have now gone unconquered in their last 15 matches
in all competitions, managing to claim the win in 10 of those contests.
Furthermore, Thiago Silva received a welcome rest over the weekend and
Thiago Motta made a healthy return to proceedings. In Silva they have
one of the best defenders in the world and coupled with former Chelsea
centre-back David Luiz, there’s plenty of reason to expect a good
performance from the visitors on Wednesday. However, the Blues are very
difficult to play against at Stamford Bridge, and the travelers have
lost 3 of their last 6 Champions League road games (dating back to last
season). Furthermore, they have managed to score just 4 total goals in
their last 5 competitive matches away from home, and while their
competition certainly hasn’t been easy over this stretch, Chelsea will
present a far-sterner test in the English capital.
Probable lineups:
Chelsea: Courtois – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta – Matic, Ramires – Willian, Fabregas, Hazard – Diego Costa.
PSG: Sirigu – van der Wiel, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell – Verratti, David Luiz, Matuidi – Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi.
