The 2020-21 UEFA Champions League has reached its business-end phase, with the second leg of the semi-finals to be conducted this week, on Tuesday and Wednesday night. While Chelsea and Manchester City seem to be in a rooted position to qualify for the final, the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain cannot be ruled out. On the same note, we present the preview of what could happen in the second leg.
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Chelsea looks to get the job done at Stamford BridgeChelsea came up with a phenomenal display of gameplay during the opening leg in Madrid, settling for a 1-1 draw. With an away goal in place, all it needs is to win the return leg at Stamford Bridge in London.
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A draw won’t help The Blues, as a draw of more than 1-1 would aid Madrid in the process. Nevertheless, Thomas Tuchel and his men could undoubtedly get the job done over Zinedine Zidane and co, who would definitely be under pressure, playing away from home.
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Pre-match stats- Chelsea is yet to lose against Madrid in Europe, while it would be their maiden clash at Stamford Bridge.- Madrid has not won in its previous four away games to English sides, last winning against Liverpool in 2014.- Zidane is looking to become the fourth manager after Sir Alex Ferguson, Carlo Ancelotti and Marcello Lippi would qualify for his fourth European final.
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Tuchel’s plans“If we play with no striker at all and Ramos has nothing to fight, then that can also be a solution. I have not made my mind up yet. It’s another challenge because he is the leader of their group and he is the guy to give a lot of solutions to any questions that we will hopefully ask them,” told Tuchel to Chelsea.“We will wait and see who is in good shape and good form, what shape we play and where we try to hurt them. I’m not too sure if they will play again with five or go back to four, so there are many questions, but we don’t need the answers now. It’s enough if we have them on Wednesday,” he concluded.
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PSG looks to crate miracle at EtihadPSG suffered a shocking 2-1 loss in Paris to City and would be desperate to turn things around in the return leg. However, with Etihad Stadium being City’s paradise, it would undoubtedly be an uphill task.
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Nonetheless, judging by the calibre of a side Mauricio Pochettino and are, it would be foolish to rule them out entirely. Furthermore, Pep Guardiola knows precisely what to expect from his men at home.
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Pre-match stats- City is unbeaten against PSG in its previous four games in Europe.- A win here would help City become the English side with the most consecutive UCL matches win of seven.- In the last 47 instances of an English side winning the opening leg away from home, they have progressed to the final on every occasion.
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ReactionsGuardiola: “We don’t want to miss this opportunity by not being ourselves and doing a good game; I have the feeling we are going to do well. We are not going to demand anything special. We’ve had tough, tough games in the Premier League - the same level as PSG.”
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Pochettino: “We still have to assess the situation with Kylian. Today, he’s going to train on his own and we will see if he can do it with the group at the end. We have one day left. We still haven’t made a decision.”NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
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