(Getty)
After Chelsea finish off Newcastle at Stamford Bridge they will set their sights on Paris, where the English champions have a Champions League meeting with the best team in France.
A strange season in Chelsea’s history still has the possibility of a fairytale ending. The Blues are miles from the title race, struggling to climb higher than mid-table this season. The team’s only chances of glory are in the FA Cup and in Champions League, and that is where the focus should lie. It could be tough without Kurt Zouma going forward, as Paris Saint-Germain boast some of the planet’s best attacking talents.
Chelsea are a sizable underdog for Tuesday’s first leg, running as high as +525 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Chelsea opened at a modest +275, but that number has steadily grown with Chelsea’s injuries and poor performances. Bovada.com has PSG at -150 to come away victorious in the first leg. The spread shouldn’t come as a surprise, as PSG have been dominating Ligue 1 play this season.
Laurent Blanc’s men remain unbeaten through 25 league matches, and are a whopping 24 points clear in the standings. Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads all scorers in France with 21 goals, and Edinson Cavani and Angel Di Maria have combined for 20 of their own.
The first leg at Stade de France is scheduled for Tuesday February 16 at 2:45 p.m. Eastern. The second leg at Stamford Bridge will take place Wednesday March 9 at 2:45 p.m. Eastern.