Two more contenders gun for quarterfinals
LONDON (Reuters) – Chelsea is brimming with confidence and, fortified by a seven-day break, goes into Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 return match as the favorite to knock Paris Saint Germain out for the second season in a row. Bayern Munich, meanwhile, goes into its second leg at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday knowing the game will make or break its season. Chelsea defender Gary Cahill says “there’s a great buzz” around Stamford Bridge after the Londoners followed their 2-0 League Cup final victory over Tottenham Hotspur on March 1 by winning 1-0 at West Ham United in the Premier League three days later. Treble-chasing Chelsea, which is five points clear at the top of the Premier League, has not played since the Upton Park triumph and, according to Cahill, the Wembley win over Spurs has lifted the squad’s self-belief to new heights. “The Cup final was huge in terms of the atmosphere around the club and the dressing room,” he told the club website. “We were desperate as a squad to win that game. It’s the first time this group, a newish group formed at the start of last season and before this season, has reached the end of a competition together. “We came through it really well and hopefully we can take the positive experiences from that and try and build momentum for many more cup finals,” added Cahill. “We are very proud of winning our first trophy as a group together and getting that win at West Ham. But they are gone, all that is on our minds now is the PSG game.” Zlatan Ibrahimovic was missing through injury when PSG was beaten on away goals by Chelsea in last season’s quarterfinals, but the French club’s talismanic striker is fit this time round. Last month’s first leg in Paris ended in a 1-1 draw and visiting coach Laurent Blanc wants his attack to be more ruthless than it was during Saturday’s 4-1 victory over struggling RC Lens in Ligue 1. “When you play a game like the one against Lens you must be efficient,” said Blanc who criticized Argentine forward Ezequiel Lavezzi for wasting an opportunity in front of an open goal. “If he misses the same chance at Stamford Bridge I won’t be the only one who is not happy.” PSG will be without injured forward Lucas, but fellow Brazilian David Luiz returns to Chelsea for the first time since moving to Paris in the close-season. Bayern is the runaway Bundesliga leader and also reached the German Cup quarterfinals last week, but anything short of lifting Europe’s biggest club crown will be considered a failure for Germany’s wealthiest team. “This match is a final for us,” coach Pep Guardiola told reporters after Bayern’s 3-1 win at Hanover 96 in the league on Saturday. “Only one thing matters and that is to win. “We know what we have to do. [Shakhtar] has extremely quick forwards and we cannot allow them to make their runs,” said the Spaniard. Bayern, a five-time European champion, needs to win to advance over 90 minutes, with a score draw sending the Ukrainians through after their goalless first leg. The Bavarians are still the odds-on favorite to progress, having won all their previous home games in the group stage this season without conceding a goal. Bayern’s domestic form has been equally impressive, having scored an eye-popping 21 goals in its last four league games. Guardiola will be without the experienced Xabi Alonso, who is suspended after his red card in the first leg. The odds are stacked against Shakhtar, whose season only started at the end of last month, said coach Mircea Lucescu. “Their team is superior to ours, but football does not follow logical rules. In football, anything can happen,” said the Romanian. Late Tuesday, Real Madrid took a 2-0 first-leg advantage into the decider against Schalke 04, while FC Porto and Basel faced off in their second leg, coming in tied 1-1.