PSG Seeking Revenge against Chelsea
Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain go head to head at Stamford Bridge tonight in the second leg of their finely-poised Champions League last-16 tie.
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the French capital three weeks ago as Edinson Cavani cancelled out Branislav Ivanovic’s opener at the Parc des Princes.
Jose Mourinho’s side head into the game on an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions and with a healthy five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
The Blues also remain unbeaten in Europe this season, having drawn three and won four of their encounters so far.
PSG currently sit in second place in the Ligue 1 table following just two victories in their last five games. However, Laurent Blanc’s men make the trip to London in confident spirits having thrashed Lens 4-1 on Saturday.
Midfielder Blaise Matuidi has claimed that the Parisians are hopeful of getting the right result to go through to the quarter-finals, while Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has challenged his teammates to treat the match like a final.
PSG were close to beating Chelsea in last season’s quarterfinals before a Demba Ba strike three minutes from time sent the Londoners into the last four on away goals.
The hosts could be without midfielder Nemanja Matic after he injured his ankle during the team’s celebrations following their League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur. John Obi Mikel is definitely sidelined after undergoing knee surgery, while Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis are all one booking away from a suspension.
Lucas Moura and Serge Aurier will be absent for the visitors with groin and hamstring problems respectively, but Yohan Cabaye is available after recovering from a thigh strain. Marco Verratti and Gregory van der Wiel will both miss their side’s next European fixture if they receive yellow cards at the Bridge.
Former Chelsea defender, David Liuz appears to bear a grudge against the man who axed him from the London club.
“He is special for you, not for me,” said Luiz ahead of the second leg this evening.
“I had some great moments at Chelsea and won a lot of titles. I was very happy.
“They are having a great season, defend well and have great players but above all I know my team. We will try to score there and play like we know how.
“We will have a good game plan and implement it the best way possible to achieve a great performance. Both can still qualify.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea goal keeper, Thibaut Courtois, believes the London side must not rely on their away-goal advantage this evening.
But Courtois is wary of taking an ultra-cautious approach against the French champions and feels that Chelsea should be aiming to win the second leg.
“We are confident but we expect a very difficult game,” the goalkeeper told RMC.
“PSG will come here to score goals. It will be a very tough game. We are ready and we hope to win in front of our fans.
“We need to see the tactics that the coach will put in place. What is certain is that we cannot wait. We must defend well but do not aim for a 0-0 because, if we concede a goal, it’s PSG who qualify with a 1-0 win. I think we should play with our qualities, trying to score goals to win this game.
“PSG are a very good team. They have a powerful attack, good players in the middle, solid defenders and a good goalkeeper. This is a team that can reach the final.”
All PSG players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for three of France’s best-known athletes who were killed in a helicopter crash in Argentina.
Champion sailor Florence Arthaud, Olympic gold medalwinning swimmer Camille Muffat and Olympic boxer Alexis Vastine were among the 10 victims when two helicopters filming the survival series “Dropped” smashed into each other in the rugged mountains of La Rioja province, local officials said.