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Chelsea was held to a 1-1 draw in the first Leg in Istanbul, but the London side won`t be too upset with that result and will look to book a spot in the Champions league quarterfinals when facing Galatasaray at Stamford Bridge. As a sidenote, it will surely be an emotional moment when Galata’s Didier Drogba will step on the field where he had the best years of his career.
Chelsea lost to Aston Villa over the weekend, only their 2nd defeat in the last 21 games (they also lost to Man City in February). Mourinho`s side has been in really good form lately and Chelsea is first in the Premier League standings, though they do have 3 more games played than City and only 6 points in front of them. Chelsea was slightly better than Villa in the weekend game and would have deserved at least a draw, but overall it wasn`t their best performance of the season for sure.
Galatasaray played a great game in the first Leg against Chelsea, holding almost 60% possesion and leading in goal attempts. They could have won that with a little bit of luck, but now they have to score at least once at Stamford Bridge if they are to stand any chance of qualifying. Galata was much better in the Champions League this season than in The Superliga, where they are second in the table and have struggled winning recently, drawing 3 of their last 5 games, including a 0-0 result at Karabukspor on Friday.
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Team news and lineups
Chelsea has been pretty much injury free this season and will be happy of again missing only van Ginkel, aside from Matic and Salah, who are ineligible. However, David Luiz and Ashley Cole are heavy doubts and could well have to sit this one out. Galatasaray will have to do without Aydin Yilmaz, Colak and Iscan, while Kaya and Muslera are questionable.
Chelsea: Cech – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta – Ramires, Lampard – Oscar, Hazard, Willian – Torres
Galatasaray: Muslera – Sarioglu, Balta, Kaya, Telles – Sneijder, Melo, Inan, Kurtulus – Drogba, Yilmaz
Galatasaray gave Chelsea a lot of trouble in Turkey but things could be different at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea is such a good home team and Galata is not exactly the biggest threat on the road, so home court advantage could very well be the difference maker here. Of course the hosts are the better team and arguably in better form, even if they lost to Villa over the weekend, while their experience could also come in handy. I can see Galata putting up a fight but overall Chelsea is too strong and should be able to get a safe passage to the quarters on home court. A two goal win is more than possible, especially with Galatasaray having to go forward in this one as they need to score in order to qualify. My tip is Chelsea -1,25 asian handicap and I feel the odds are pretty fair. Prediction: Chelsea – Galatasaray 2-0.
Pick: Chelsea (-1,25 Asian Handicap)
Odds: 1.92 @ Pinnacle
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 7.36
Event date: 18 March
