Will Chelsea be able to finish the job in Turin?

Juventus/Chelsea, 7.45pm, ITV4, Free Bets, Best Odds

Only 58% of teams who win the home leg of a Champions League knockout clash 1-0 have progressed to the next round, meaning that Juventus are priced far too high at 3/1 with 888sport to qualify. But while the hosts may offer good value, is Guus Hiddink’s honeymoon period really going to end in the worst way imaginable? Here are all the key statistics:

THE FORM GUIDE
Chelsea have won six successive games since sacking Luiz Felipe Scolari. The wins since Hiddink took charge have come by narrow margins though, with three of the last five finishing 1-0, one ending 2-1 and the other being their 2-0 triumph away to Coventry at the weekend. Since losing the first leg at Stamford Bridge, Juventus have beaten both Napoli and Torino 1-0 in Serie A. However, a reasonably weakened Bianconeri side lost 2-1 away to Lazio last week in their Coppa Italia semi-final.

CHELSEA IN ITALY
The Blues hadn’t played away to Italian opposition for five seasons before their 3-1 defeat to Roma in November. What made the manner of the loss even more surprising was that their previous match in Italy had been played at the same ground and they had thrashed Lazio 4-0 on that occasion. Chelsea have made five trips to Italy in the Premier League era and have a mixed record: winning one, drawing two and losing two.

JUVENTUS AGAINST ENGLISH OPPOSITION

Posted: March 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Counter argument: five reasons why Chelsea won’t beat CFR Cluj

Chelsea/CFR Cluj, 7.45pm, ITV1, Best Odds, Free Bets

Chelsea could be eliminated from the Champions League tonight if they fail to beat Cluj and Bordeaux win away to Roma but nobody is really expecting that to happen. The general consensus is that even if Chelsea slip up, Roma will bail them out. However, the draw still seems ridiculously overpriced at 9.2 with Betfair (the away win is 27), so here are five reasons why Chelsea could stumble tonight:

1. Chelsea have gone three home games without a win and have only won one of their last five at Stamford Bridge.

2. The two sides drew when they met in Romania two months ago. Cluj won 2-1 away to group leaders Roma earlier this season and were only beaten by an own goal in Bordeaux.

Posted: December 9th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment