Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of talent will be on display at the Parc des Princes when Russian billionaire-backed Chelsea FC takes on the Qatari-bankrolled Paris Saint-Germain in their quarterfinal first leg tie. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is an astute tactical mind, and he must construct a sound gameplan to keep out PSG’s talented frontline, led by the incredible Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
[sc:Soccer ]Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea First Leg Betting Preview
When: Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 2:45 EST
Where: Parc des Princes, Paris
Line: Chelsea (+265) at PSG (-112); total 2.5 – view lines here
Betting on Paris Saint-Germain
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Paris Saint-Germain easily reached its second consecutive quarterfinal with a 6-1 aggregate demolition of Bayer Leverkusen. The French champions did their damage with a 4-0 first leg away win before settling the tie 2-1 at home.
PSG is unbeaten at home in 19 league and Champions League games this season (15 wins, 4 draws) and has conceded just once in its last six at the Parc des Princes.
World-class striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will once again lead the line for PSG. The mercurial Swede is the competition’s second-leading scorer, with 10 of his 40 club goals this season coming in the Champions League.
Betting on Chelsea
Chelsea safely made its way to the quarterfinal after a 3-1 aggregate win over Galatasaray in the Round of 32. The English club drew 1-1 in the first leg in Turkey before recording a comfortable 2-0 win at home.
The Blues are 2-1-1 away from home in the Champions League this season, with nine goals scored and just three conceded. However, they’ve lost their last two away fixtures in the league to teams in the bottom half of the table, including last weekend’s shock defeat to relegation strugglers Crystal Palace.
Despite its recent away struggles, Chelsea hasn’t conceded more than two goals on the road since early December.
Samuel Eto’o (3 goals in the Champions League) is doubtful to play with a hamstring injury, but his likely replacement Fernando Torres has scored three of his nine goals this season in the tournament.
Prediction
With both clubs’ stingy defensive records, expect a cagey and cautious first leg in France, one that will most likely end in a goalless draw.
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