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Paris Saint Germain will play host to Chelsea in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round 16, with the French side rated as 1.65 odds favorites by the bookies.
PSG’s form this season has been nothing short of brilliant, as the French side lost a single game all season in all competitions, a 0-1 defeat at Santiago Bernabeu. PSG was riding a 16 match winning streak before drawing 0-0 with Lille over the weekend, but that was a match in which Blanc rested his key players, as the league is already won. Really, what more can be said about a side that has a statline of 33 wins, 5 draws and 1 loss in all competitions this season.
It has been a season to forget for Chelsea, but since Guus Hiddink took over, the team slowly started to get back into form. The team is undefeated in the last 12 matches, won 5-1 over Newcastle over the weekend and recent results included a 1-0 road win over Arsenal or a 1-1 draw against Manchester United. Chelsea is definitely much more offensive under Hiddink than under Mourinho. The Blues scored 2 or more goals in 8 of the last 12 games, but also conceded at least once in 8 out of the last 13.
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Team news & lineups:
Aurier is the only absentee for PSG, except for Lavezzi, of course, who seems to have signed with a Chinese team. Chelsea can’t count on Matic, Terry, Zouma and Falcao, while new signing Pato is not yet fit to play.
PSG: Trapp – Van der Wiel, Silva, Luiz, Maxwell – Rabiot, Motta, Matuidi – Di Maria, Ibrahimovic, Lucas Moura
Chelsea: Courtois – Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Cahill, Baba Rahman – Fabregas, Mikel – Hazard, Willian, Pedro – Costa
Chelsea’s problems in defense are really worrying. Matic, Terry and Zouma will be huge misses against a brilliant offensive side like PSG. The hosts should be able to break down Chelsea’s improvised defensive lineup, especially with Hiddink’s side playing much more offensive football right now. On the other hand, Chelsea is a bit underrated here. They are in good form, playing well and I expect them to create problems for the hosts. They know they will likely concede, so they need to find the net themselves, especially knowing how important it is to do so on the road. Chelsea should score too.
My tip on this match is both teams to score. My second option would be Chelsea +1 asian handicap, but I like the bet on goals more. Prediction: Paris Saint Germain – Chelsea 2-2.
Pick: Both to score
Odds: 2.20 @ William Hill
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 8.4
Event date: 16 February
