By FRANCO PANIZO
It’s going to take something special for Jose Mourinho to turn this one around.
Chelsea are looking to overturn a 3-1 deficit when they host Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinals series on Tuesday. The Blues will be without the suspended Ramires, but should have a recovering Samuel Eto’o (hamstring) available for selection as they try to reach the semifinals for the seventh time in the last 11 years.
While securing goals is the primary objective, Chelsea know they can’t simply be attack-minded vs. a PSG side that will be missing the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic but still boasts plenty of quality in the attack. Finding the right balance on both sides of the ball will be paramount for the Blues, as an away goal from PSG at any point would likely see the French powerhouse advance.
In Tuesday’s other quarterfinals match, Real Madrid will head to Germany to try and finish off Borussia Dortmund. Madrid won the first leg, 3-0, and now need to avoid a massive collapse in order to move closer to their ultimate goal of lifting the Champions League title.
A boost for Dortmund is that forward Robert Lewandowski is back in the mix after missing the first leg due to suspension. As evidenced by last year’s semifinals series, Lewandowski is capable of giving Madrid’s back line fits and that will likely need to be the case if Dortmund are to have any shot at scoring three times.
Being watchful of the always-dangerous Cristiano Ronaldo is also a key component for Dortmund in this decisive leg. Ronaldo leads all players in the competition with 14 goals scored, and he will be keen on adding to that total in a match that should be wide open given Dortmund’s situation.
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Excited for these second legs or think the series’ outcomes are a foregone conclusion? Do you see Mourinho and Chelsea making a good run at a comeback? Think Madrid will easily deal with Dortmund again?
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