Breaking down Chelsea’s potential UCL Round of 16 opponents
6. RB Leipzig
Why should Chelsea not fear RB Leipzig?
Leipzig lost its top scorer from last season in Werner to Chelsea and have looked rather neutered in front of goal. Die Roten Bullen signing Alexander Sorloth has not panned out as well as the club had hoped and they are essentially playing in a striker-less formation. They also have a propensity to be thrashed when chances don’t go their way, as demonstrated by their 5-0 capitulation to Manchester United at Old Trafford in the last 15 minutes. They have had injuries to key personnel in Halstenburg, Sanitizer and others, which has stymied their growth.
Why should Chelsea fear RB Leipzig?
Die Roten Bullen have been very good in the Bundesliga this season. They have taken advantage of opportunities when Bayern Munich dropped points and run up goal difference. They also went toe-to-toe with Bayern in a 3-3 draw away at the Allianz Arena, which shows that they won’t back down when a challenge arises. They did so with that striker-less formation I mentioned earlier and don’t wilt under pressure when they knew they needed a home win against Manchester United. They duly dispatched United to secure their qualification to the knockout stage, where manager Julian Nagelsmann can truly shine.
7. Atletico Madrid
Why should Chelsea not fear Atletico Madrid?
Despite Atletico having a high flying season in La Liga, it has had a shockingly bad campaign in the Champions League. Los Rojiblancos have only just managed to qualify into the knockout stages by having better quality than Red Bull Salzburg. At the time of writing, they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid away from home in the Madrid Derby, which has put their title ambitions on pause temporarily. Los Colchoneros have been so disappointing that they couldn’t beat a ‘B’ team sent out by Bayern, which didn’t contain Robert Lewandowski or Manuel Neuer.
Why should Chelsea fear Atletico Madrid?
This is a Diego Simeone side, which in and of itself makes Los Rojiblancos a dangerous prospect. They are literally tailor-made for knockout football. Atletico has shown its quality and consistency in Europe over the past decade, winning the Europa League on three occasions, reaching the Champions League final on two occasions, reaching the Champions League semis once and reaching the quarters twice. Los Rojiblancos also knocked out one of the favourites for the Champions League last season by out-punching Liverpool over two legs.
Next. Upcoming run decides whether Chelsea is one of Europe’s top teams. dark
Ultimately what I want to say is that whatever opponent Chelsea face, they need to be on their game and need to up their game accordingly.