Overview
Chelsea will face an extremely difficult challenge to nurture hopes of advancing in the UEFA Champions League when facing Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the round of 16 at Stamford Bridge.
The first leg at Parc des Princes was tense, but the turning point came from Filip Jorgensen's mistake in the 74th minute. Vitinha took advantage of the opportunity before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a late double, helping PSG win 5-2.
Chelsea is not used to such heavy defeats in Europe, especially when they defeated PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup final less than a year ago. However, 5 goals conceded in the first leg is an alarming number, only 2 goals behind their worst record in the Champions League knockout round (7 goals against Bayern Munich in the 2019-2020 season).
In the match in Paris, Enzo Fernandez assisted Malo Gusto to score and score himself, but caused controversy when reacting to the mistake of the home team's goalkeeper. However, with 5 participations in goals in the Champions League this season, the Argentine midfielder is still Chelsea's big hope.
Coach Liam Rosenior dropped Jorgensen from the main squad last weekend, but his replacement Robert Sanchez could not help the team avoid a 0-1 defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Chelsea's home form is also very worrying as they have not won any match since the end of January, making the task of comeback even more difficult. If they want to go further, they will have to do something that very few teams can do - just like Deportivo La Coruna once caused an earthquake against AC Milan in 2004.
On the other side, coach Luis Enrique understands very well the historic comebacks, when he once led Barcelona to create "La Remontada" against PSG in 2017.
However, this time, Enrique's goal is to protect the advantage - something he does very well with a 66.7% win rate in Champions League knockout matches.
PSG has ideal preparation when having a weekend break in Ligue 1, and they have almost the strongest squad. Only Fabian Ruiz and Quentin Ndjantou are absent due to injury.
Meanwhile, Chelsea is likely to be without Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Estevao Willian, and Pedro Neto may be suspended due to UEFA investigation.
Head-to-head record
Head-to-head history also does not favor the home team. Chelsea has not beaten PSG in their last 5 Champions League encounters (2 draws, 3 losses).
Conversely, PSG is in impressive form against English teams with 4 wins and 1 draw in the last 5 matches. They will aim to eliminate Premier League representatives for the fourth consecutive time, after overcoming Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal.
With all those factors, Chelsea not only needs a perfect performance, but also needs a miracle if they want to continue their journey in the Champions League this season.
Score prediction: Chelsea 3-2 PSG
The match between Chelsea and PSG takes place at 3:00 AM on March 18 (Vietnam time).
