Chelsea will look to overturn a 2-1 first leg deficit when they welcome PSG to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday in their Champions Leg round of 16 clash.
Edison Cavani’s late winner in Paris has given PSG the edge, but Guus Hiddink and his men will have been pleased to take an away goal back to London.
Like their dramatic tie from last season it’s evenly balanced yet again.
Here are some of the major talking points ahead of an engrossing encounter:
The ‘Guus effect’
The Dutchman has steadied the Chelsea ship to great effect since coming in for the sacked Jose Mourinho on December 19. The Blues have risen up the Premier League table to a credible 10th, after being in a precarious position just above the drop zone. Hiddink is unbeaten in domestic competition and appears to have instilled team spirit and defensive solidity throughout the side. With 10 goals in their past four league games, they have confidence back within the attacking ranks and are a team playing without nothing any fear again.
Can Chelsea keep PSG’s star attackers quiet?
Although Chelsea must score if they are to win the tie they would be foolish to implement a gung-ho approach. PSG have registered a total of 68 goals in 29 league games, whereas the Blues have scored 25 goals less than their opponents. It is argued that PSG are competing in a worse league, however that is still a significant discrepancy. Angel Di Maria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cavani have scored 41 goals between them in Ligue 1 – just two shy of Chelsea’s combined league total – so the onus on Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic in central defence will be telling.
PSG have mental edge from last season
The French outfit went through on away goals in the round of 16 last season, courtesy of a sublime Tiago Silva header in the 114th minute of extra time. It was Champions League football at its finest, after a 1-1 draw in Paris saw the tie evenly poised. Cahill broke the deadlock in the 81st minute, but a resilient 10-man PSG were level and forced the match to extra time, following David Luiz’s towering header. An Eden Hazard penalty in the 96th minute should have secured the Blues a passage to the last eight, only for Silva to spoil the party and cap off a remarkable win for a PSG side that played with 10 men for the best part of 90 minutes. PSG will channel every bit of their mental resolve from this victory, as they seek to inflict damage on Chelsea for the second successive season.
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