Both Chelsea and PSG have real ambitions of going all the way in the Champions League and as such one of these two will have to be disappointed. There is no doubt that Jose Mourinho would’ve have preferred to draw the likes of Monaco, who would have offered up a far easier challenge, but having eased past the Parisians in last year’s competition, he may well feel that his side have the psychological edge over Laurent Blanc’s outfit.
PSG are a without doubt a fantastic side and they will pose a threat to Chelsea. The spine of the team is very strong and with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani leading the line they have two world class strikers. In midfield, the robust Blaise Matuidi is complemented by Marco Veratti, widely tipped in Italy to fill the void which will be left by Andrea Pirlo’s retirement from the national side (when it acutally happens). At the back, Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Marquinhos all compete for places whilst Salvator Sirigu is an excellent goalkeeper.
Whilst PSG finished second in their group behind Barcelona, Jose Mourinho’s side were comfortable winners in a group containing Sporting Lisbon, Schalke and Maribor. Chelsea will be able to call upon the services of Diego Costa for the tie in France as the Spaniard returns from a three match ban for a stamp at Emre Can in a League Cup tie against Liverpool and he will be a very important player for the Blues.
This tie has all the hallmarks of a very tight clash and we can see it going right to the wire as both teams aim to reach the quarter finals.
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea Betting Tips
- PSG to win – Home advantage swings it the way of PSG in our opinion and we fancy Laurent Blanc’s side to repeat last year’s tie and take a lead into the second leg at Stamford Bridge, with a home win available at best odds of 8/5 with Ladbrokes.
- Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score first – The big Swedish striker would get into nearly every team in the world, combining power and technique to make him one of the world’s most deadly strikers. He often gets slated by the English press and he would love to prove them wrong. He can be backed at 7/2 with Bet365 to open the scoring.
- Both teams to score – We think that Blanc’s side will get the win in Paris, but Jose Mourinho is an excellent tactician on the European stage and it would not surprise us to see his side get what could potentially be an all-important away goal and at odds of 19/20 with Coral for both teams hitting the back of the net we think there is value to be had.
- David Luiz to score at anytime – The Brazilian was a surprising inclusion in Fifa’s team of the year and he will be keen to score against his former employers. The Sao Paulo-born centre back notched 12 goals in 143 appearances for Chelsea and he can be backed at odds of 9/1 to score a goal at anytime on Tuesday.