Chelsea keen to avoid heroics

07 March 2015 12:31

Chelsea will hope to avoid the need for any Demba Ba-style heroics in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 second leg tie with Paris St Germain.

The sides met in last season's quarter-finals, with Ba, who is no longer at the club, scoring a last-gasp goal which ensured the Blues advanced on away goals after a 2-0 second-leg win at Stamford Bridge.

PSG spurned a 3-1 first-leg lead on that occasion, but this season's last-16 tie is level at 1-1 after the first leg at Parc des Princes.

Chelsea have another full week of preparation before taking on PSG.

While Jose Mourinho may have preferred to play Leicester this weekend - the Premier League match was rearranged due to Chelsea's Capital One Cup final participation and will now take place on April 29 - he admitted his side were in need of a break.

Following the Premier League defeat of West Ham, Mourinho said: "It is not a good thing that we play Leicester in two months. That's not a good thing, for someone in the title race to have played one match less. I would prefer to play Leicester.

"But we deserved two days off, this discontent with football for two days. The people in the dressing room are tired."

Chelsea will likely be well prepared for the visit of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company and will be grateful for the return of Nemanja Matic.

The Serbia midfielder was suspended for two matches for his sending off against Burnley and should start despite twisting an ankle in celebrating the League Cup win over Tottenham, a match for which he was banned.

Matic's inclusion would see Chelsea at full strength for the contest as they look to reach the last eight for the fourth time in five years.

Mourinho is bidding to win the competition for a third time with a third club after successes with Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

The Portuguese has reached the semi-finals for the last four years (three with Real Madrid, one with Chelsea).

After winning the League Cup - the first trophy of his second spell as boss - and with the Blues top of the Premier League, Mourinho will be eager to advance in Europe.

Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas and Filipe Luis are one booking away from a ban, so could miss the quarter-final first leg if the Blues do progress.

The first leg was overshadowed by an incident of racism on the Paris Metro, when a black commuter was blocked from boarding a train by Chelsea fans prior to the match.

Five Chelsea fans were suspended as a result of the incident, which was caught on video, and anyone found guilty of the abuse faces a life ban.

Souleymane S, the French-Mauritian victim, was invited to Stamford Bridge for the return, but his lawyer said it was "too early" for him to attend, declining the invitation.

Source: PA