Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
In the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal draw, Chelsea FC were matched up with French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint Germain. The two clubs have only faced each other twice in European matches and have played a preseason match in the United States in the summer of 2012. Since Paris Saint Germain was taken over by Qatari businessman Nasser Al-Khelaifi they have experienced great success and attracted top talents such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Thiago Silva. This should be a massive tie between two of the giants of European football.
Chelsea FC chief executive Ron Gourlay said about the tie:
"“It’s a massive game. We have a good balance between young and experienced players and, in our eye, the the top coach in the world. We have a top quality side but we know we’ll be playing a Paris St-Germain side that has some big individual players.”"
While Paris Saint Germain is a tough task given their attacking power there is no reason for Chelsea and Jose Mourinho not to be confident going in to the tie. They surely would have preferred to face Manchester United or an injury depleted Borussia Dortmund side that is also missing striker Robert Lewandowski for ther first leg through yellow card accumulation. The Blues will still rise to the task and their defense is good enough to keep even the most potent attacking sides at bay.
The first leg in Paris is set for April 2nd with the return leg at Stamford Bridge is scheduled for April 8th. Chelsea travel to Crystal Palace before the first leg and Stoke City before the second, two winnable games but against two physical sides. Chelsea have the squad depth and the talent to advance despite the fixture congestion and the games against Paris Saint Germain should make for a fascinating tie.
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