Ranking Chelsea’s potential Round of 16 opponents by narrative

4. Paris Saint-Germain

There was a time when PSG and Chelsea seemed to face each other every single year in the Champions League. In reality it was never really that much, but the matches almost always proved exciting.

Adding to the narrative was how PSG grew in much the same way Chelsea did; with a lot of money. In a way, as Chelsea’s star was fading and the cash running low after 2012, PSG’s only seemed to grow and grow. Even their ambition to win the Champions League was much the same as it was for Chelsea.

PSG would be a very difficult opponent, but it is hard to tell how much the Blues have to fear from them. Yes, they have Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. But for whatever reason, PSG always implode in the Champions League. They could win the first leg 3-0 and still go out.

Not many players on either side were at their clubs the last time the two played one another. It would be intense, but it might not get as feisty as the games of a few years ago.

3. Bayern Munich

2012 will always be remembered as the year the Blues finally did it. Not only that, they did it by overcoming a big first leg loss to Napoli and the mighty, best the world has ever seen Pep Guardiola Barcelona. Oh, and Bayern Munich in their own backyard.

No one expected Chelsea to get a result. Bayern Munich was a force and had home field advantage. The match itself only seemed to reinforce that as the Blues were battered with wave after wave of Bavarian attacks. But Chelsea held firm. Destiny was on Chelsea’s side.

Frank Lampard, Petr Cech, and Didier Drogba pushed their side over the line and into penalties. Cech had to make several excellent saves before Drogba stepped up. He was not going to miss. He did not. Chelsea went to Bayern Munich’s own stadium and against the odds, won.

The sting of that night was likely alleviated by the treble winning season Bayern had the following season. Chelsea and Bayern Munich have only played one competitive match since, the UEFA Super Cup with Jose Mourinho on one side and Pep Guardiola on the other. A missed Romelu Lukaku penalty was the difference that season.

But perhaps the most important part of this potential fixture is Lampard himself. He captained the Blues that night and could channel that energy into a Bayern Munich fixture. Bayern Munich also might be the easiest opponent for the taking given their league position. Two months is a long time away and a lot could change on that front though. And of course, Bayern Munich is still Bayern Munich.