Chelsea v Inter Milan
UEFA Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
Stamford Bridge – London, England
16 March 2010 – 19:45 GMT
Jose Mourinho will travel back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving Chelsea as Inter Milan hold a 2-1 aggregate lead in the UEFA Champions League.
Chelea v Inter Milan Preview
Chelsea will look to reach the semifinals for the fourth straight season in the Champions League while Inter Milan have been knocked out by English clubs the last two seasons. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals which starts in a few weeks.
The home side several players who are out with injures including Michael Essien, Ashley Cole, Jose Bosingwa, Petr Cech, and Hilario. Third string goalkeeper Ross Turnball will likely start for Chelsea who has limited experience in the UEFA Champions League. Inter has only one major injury which is to striker Mario Balotelli.
Chelsea will need to attack with a 1-2 deficit to overcome while Inter Milan will be more defensive. Didier Drogba has been in great form since arriving from the Africa Cup of Nations and scored two goals in Chelsea’s 4-1 win over West Ham United. Nicolas Anelka leads the club in Champions League goals with three.
Inter Milan’s leading goalscorer is Alberto Diego Milito who scored the lone goal during Friday’s surprising 1-3 defeat at Catania. The top scorer for Inter in the Champions League is Dejan Stankovic with two in the competition.
This is one of the most anticipated matches in the Champions League this season and Mourinho’s return should be entertaining to say the least. The former Chelsea manager is rumored to be leaving Inter in the summer and back to manage one of the EPL sides for next season.
Chelsea have proven to be a solid team in the Champions League and very strong at home. They should win the match but will need a two goal difference or a 1-0 win to advance. It could go into extra time but Chelsea should have enough to advance. Inter Milan has not shown the ability to advance far into the Champions League in recent years and their form in Serie A has dropped of late.You can never count out a team coached by Mourinho but its a tough task to get a draw at Stamford Bridge.
Last Five Matches in Competition | |
Chelsea | Internazionale |
@Internazionale 2-1 | Chelsea 2-1 |
Apoel Nicosia 2-2 | FK Rubin Kazan 2-0 |
@FC Porto 0-1 | @Barcelona 2-0 |
@Atlético Madrid 2-2 | @Dynamo Kiev 1-2 |
Atlético Madrid 4-0 | Dynamo Kiev 2-2 |
Chelsea v Inter Milan Prediction
Chelsea will win the match 3-1 (4-3 on aggregate).
Watch Chelsea v Inter Milan Live Online
You can watch Chelsea v Inter Milan live online as well as all other Champions League games. Read our live Champions League football page for more details.