Internazionale V Chelsea Betting: UEFA Champions League

Internazionale V Chelsea

Wednesday, 24^th February – 19:45 GMT (ITV1)

Introduction

The draw for the last sixteen has drawn up another nostalgic clash as Jose Mourinho, a former manager and hero at Chelsea, sets out to topple the current league leaders of the Premiership at the San Siro in what will be the most eagerly anticipated tie in this second set of last sixteen fixtures. While this isn’t exactly a battle between kings, by this time next season it could quite easily be just that as both Inter Milan & Chelsea lead their respective leagues by a healthy margin, meaning, in theory, we have an intriguing tie between what is the best teams in Italy & England respectively.

Jose Mourinho, one of the more animated and charismatic managers currently on the scene, was drafted in at Inter almost immediately after departing Chelsea with the objective being to bring home some European glory for his new employers. However, even the ‘Special One’ hasn’t be able to work his magic at a club which has been doomed in European competitions in recent seasons, with the club having gone nearly half-a-century without a major European accolade (discounting their successess in the UEFA Cup during the 90′s). Chelsea, though, are in the same boat having not won a European trophy ever, but they have a Champions League veteran at the helm in Carlo Ancelotti, whom has won this competition twice as both a player and manager, so will his vast European experience prove the difference in a contest between two clubs starving for European glory?

To Qualify

Internazionale – 2.70 bWin Chelsea – 1.53 Bet365 

Internazionale

Champions League Odds: 14/1 888Sport

The enticement of this tie is solely based upon the match up between Jose Mourinho and is former club, Chelsea. The Portuguese manager has enjoyed success in every area as manager but now has the mission of all missions in somehow trying to guide Inter Milan to an elusive and much craved European title. However, if they are to do so they will need to overcome one of the competitions more fancied clubs by beating the current leaders of the English Premier League, Chelsea.

The club are desperate for some European success and won’t have been impressed with their draw either. Inter would have preferred a far easier draw than the one they received and will be hard-pressed to progress judging by their recent attempts in the knock-out phase of the competition, losing out to English opponents in their previous two first round knock-out attempts when losing to Manchester United last season and Liverpool back in 2008. They’ve also not surpassed the last-sixteen stage of the tournament in their last three seasons so how will they go about changing their fortunes in what is probably their hardest assignment of the lot?

Inter Milan are known for their solid, stable foundation at the back but have always maintained this steely edge in attack. However, they’ve been stuttering badly of late, drawing their last three league games in Serie A, with none of those coming against the so called elite sides in Italy. On Saturday, Inter had to work extremely hard just to earn a point from a fixture they looked destined to lose at Half-Time after going into the break with just nine men. However, the tactical genius of the man at the helm, aided by some good fortune, seen Inter cling onto their unbeaten home run and that will stand them in good stead ahead of an even tougher examination on Wednesday night. However, it remains to be seen just how much playing with nine men took out of Jose Mourinho’s players as it was a gruelling encounter, one which required 100% effort from every player.

Inter’s recent lack of form is a major concern as the one thing you definitely need heading into a Champions League encounter is momentum, and Inter currently don’t have a lot of that right now, nor do they possess a team brimming with confidence it would seem. They were rash, untidy and wasteful on Saturday in a game they were mighty fortunate not to have lost. Clearly this drought of theirs is getting to the players and the frustration within camp is steadily beginning to grow. However, it’s imperative they keep their cool in this contest as any rash dismissal at the San Siro in midweek would almost certainly hand the initiative to Chelsea and more than likely see Inter travel to England with a first leg deficit to overcome.

Chelsea

Champions League Odds: 9/2 SportingBet 

Chelsea kept up their title winning charge with a routine win at Wolves on Saturday, although their performance probably didn’t merit all three points. It was an unconvincing display from Carlo Ancelotti’s men, whom travels back to where he enjoyed his most successful spell as manager, Milan, and he will pit his wits against his former clubs fiercest rivals in Inter Milan. That intense rivalry will still burn brightly inside Ancelotti and he will have a point to prove just as much as his opposite number will, so who will win this intriguing battle of the managers?

While Chelsea weren’t their impressive selves at the weekend, the win was important as it ensured the club didn’t suffer their first back-to-back defeats of the season after losing 2-1 in their previous outing at Everton – A team which franked the form by beating Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday. On the whole, though, Chelsea have been a model of consistency in terms of winning games and have picked up six wins from their last eight league games, not including a couple of FA Cup victories. However, their performances of late have been well below par, especially in defence, an area where Chelsea were very poor on Saturday and were thankful that Petr Cech was back to his best in the Chelsea goal and spared Chelsea’s blushes with some superb point-blank saves. John Terry’s recent off-pitch drama has led to a decline in his performance levels, while the absence of Ashley Cole down the left has left a void which Ancelotti has found hard to fill. 

The good news for Chelsea fans is that Didier Drogba hasn’t lost the scintillating form he was in just before he left for the African Cup of Nations and has got straight back down to business by scoring a large chunk of Chelsea’s recent goals, bagging a brace on Saturday in the 2-0 win at Wolves. The Ivorian is arguably enjoying his best ever spell at the club, his career even, and is looking irresistible at the moment. His understanding of the play is so much better, his confidence on the ball is enabling him to drive at defences while his composure in goalscoring positions has been outstanding and has resulted in plenty of goals for him. Drogba, whom was a personal favourite of Mourinho and a potential signing at one stage, could come back to haunt the former Chelsea boss by scoring a crucial away goal at the San Siro, one that would heavily alter the balance of the tie in Chelsea’s favour.

While Chelsea should have enough in their locker to see of the Italian champs, their problems at the back are disturbing, if not alarming. Careless mistakes are creeping into their play while there is a distinct lack of organisation at the back, which is bewildering considering they have the former England captain in the heart of their defence. A fairly weak Wolves offence could of scored at least a couple on Saturday were it not for Petr Cech, and the sight of this will have Jose Mourinho licking his lips as the likes of Eto, despite having a poor spell in front of goal, and Diego Milito, whom has been on fire for Inter this season, could pounce on any mistakes.

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.20 Bet365

Inter will require far more patience than they’ve been showing in recent outings, especially against a Chelsea side which will pile plenty of men behind the ball when not in possession. Chelsea, however, will look to capitalise on the few opportunities they do create as we aren’t too sure as to how dominant they will want to be at the San Siro. Their midfield has hardly been in inspired form of late, while their defence is looking so exposed that Carlo Ancelotti won’t want to leave any gaps when Chelsea to stride forward. We feel Chelsea will approach this first leg in a ‘safety first’ manner, and by that we mean defending in numbers, with discipline in a bid to snatch one on a rare venture forward whilst trying to keep a clean sheet. This could prove a worthy tactic as Inter have shown in recent games alone that they can be easily frustrated and do lose their cool under pressure. 

If we had to pick a side to win then it would be Chelsea but their defence is looking far too vulnerable right now and so we’ve opted for the draw instead as we can’t see Inter winning, despite this shaping up as probably their best chance to beat an English side if Chelsea’s defence isn’t at its best. Chelsea just have that feel about them that they won’t lose on Wednesday, so our money will go directly on the draw, although a Chelsea win could prove a more likelier outcome considering Inter always fail to perform on the big stage in the big games.

Match Odds:

Internazionale – 2.75 VCbet

Draw – 3.20 Bet365

Chelsea – 2.75 PaddyPower