CHELSEA

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The best of England and Spain collide in an encounter that is their biggest test yet, with local opposition not proving very strong this season. Few would disagree that these are two teams most likely to go all the way!

If the last encounter was remembered for its goals, this could be remembered for the lack of them, with neither side looking to concede an inch. Mourinho will look to annul any punches thrown by the home team, and wait for the Stamford Bridge leg.

Buoyed by extending their lead to 7 points over Real Madrid, and with 98,000 vocal fans willing them on, Barcelona will receive the most solid and consistent team in Europe. Nobody has dominated as these two have this year, Chelsea perhaps more so. However, having been knocked out of one competition on Sunday by Newcastle, they could quickly be out of another if they slip up. Good money would still be on Chelsea over two legs, simply because they do not concede, and will surely score, making them ideal for home-and-away fixtures. However, Barcelona have raised their war cry, and know that this is their chance to make this season special in front of record audiences worldwide.

The midfield scuffle between Lampard, Smertin, Makelele on one side and Gerard, Xavi, Deco on the other will make for an absorbing battle, and will decide who controls possession. There are various other sub-plots which will be observed with keen interest. Terry-Eto’o, Ferreira-Ronaldinho, and Puyol-Drogba. Paolo Ferreira must have in his luggage a DVD that many would want for themselves! Much has been made this week about Terry being too slow for Eto’o, but the Blues’ captain’s supporters have pointed to his dealing with faster forwards through better positioning and awareness.


Mourinho, in turn, has resorted to his favourite mind games. His two famous retorts have been (i) Rijkaard’s achievements as a player do not make him comparable to Mourinho as a coach. (ii)Barcelona have won the Cup once and so has he. None other than Ronaldinho has come out defending : “The boss is a great coach.” Mourinho’s arrogance stems directly from the belief he has in himself and his squad, and it is no secret that he backs himself to outwit Frank Rijkaard, despite a few injury worries. Quick counters, and dominance from dead balls (read John Terry headers) will be his main weapons for this leg, especially with Barcelona short on height.

This is going to be a great game, but I think it will be very tight. However, the defeat by Newcastle last week may have knocked something out of Chelsea, as they now know they can be beaten, and I'm sure this will have an effect on them. The cracks have just started to show in Chelsea's invincibility, and I'm backing Barcelona today at a nice price of 10/11 with Bluesq [£25 Free Bet].

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