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Key Battles:
Ibrahimovic v Zouma
Kurt Zouma caught everyone’s eye as a young Centre Back for St.Etienne. His performance against PSG in a league game would have gone a long way toward convincing Jose Mourinho to invest in his abilities. He was tasked with marking the mighty Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Zouma performed admirably well and marked him out of the game. Ibrahimovic would be looking to extract revenge this time around.
Eden Hazard v Van der Wiel
The Chelsea magician loves to run with the ball and dribble past defenders. Since this is an away tie, Jose Mourinho will set them up to play on the counter. Gregory Van der Wiel will have a tough job to do to keep him quiet and he would expect help from the others as well. Hazard, with his pace and trickery would be the most crucial player for Chelsea and will look to provide his side with the all important away goal.
Thiago Silva vs Diego Costa
Diego Costa will be back to the starting lineup after missing three games due to suspension. Mourinho will want his forward to hold up the ball well and support the quick, diminutive attackers playing behind him. With his power and physical play, marking Costa would be a tough task which will fall in the hands of PSG skipper Silva. Expect an intriguing physical battle between the two.
Matic vs Pastore
Nemanja Matic has been the vital cog in the middle of the park for Chelsea. His precise intercepts and tackles will be the key once again in Paris as they try to keep the PSG attackers quiet. Javier Pastore has been the most influential player for Paris Saint Germain in the recent games and he will need to deliver once again if they are to unlock Chelsea’s defence. Matic will be looking to subdue Pastore.
Head-Head between the two sides:
The two teams have met just four times in competitive matches, twice in the 2004/2005 season and twice last season. Incidentally, their first meeting was also Jose Mourinho’s first Champions League match in charge of Chelsea.
Date | Scoreline | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 14-09-2004 | 0-3 | Chelsea won |
| 24-11-2004 | 0-0 | Draw |
| 02-04-2014 | 3-1 | PSG won |
| 08-04-2014 | 2-0 | Chelsea won |
Recent Form:
Chelsea: W-W-D-W-L
Paris Saint-Germain: D-W-D-W-W
Prediction: Paris Saint Germain 1-2 Chelsea
