Chelsea
Group F Position: 1st
Group F Form: W (1-4 MSK Zilina – A)
Carlo Ancelotti is seeking his third Champions League success, his first with Chelsea who would thus become the first London club to clinch Europe’s most coveted prize should the steely Italian work his magic with a team which has flattered to deceive in recent European campaigns but one boasting the necessary characteristics and inventory required to ensure a side enjoys a fruitful run in a tournament they came within a missed spot-kick of clinching back in Moscow over two years ago.
Chelsea ran riot in their Group F opener, beginning the campaign with an unfamiliar trip against a peculiar opponent in that of Slovakian champions MSK Zilina, but Ancelotti’s players showed no fear of the unknown as goals from Michael Essien, Daniel Sturridge and a Nicolas Anelka brace sent the Stamford Bridge outfit top of the group, where they’re unlikely to be budged unless Marseille, the second seeds in what is a lightweight group, spring a major surprise in the English capital.
Barcelona are widely renowned as the best team in Europe right now, despite their failure to defend their European crown last season, and it was Chelsea’s early season form which had seen them muster a bold challenge for that title, one which comes with a great deal of pressure and is sometimes considered more of a burden. And perhaps it was just this, the sky-high expectations levels which got to Carlo Ancelotti’s players on Saturday, when his Chelsea side crashed to their first defeat of the season away at Manchester City, and with it relinquished their perfect start to the season and any momentum which had been established following five consecutive league wins – Racking up an unbelievable 21 goals whilst shipping just the one before the weekend’s defeat – and a commanding performance in Europe away in Slovakia.
It isn’t often that Carlo Ancelotti is out thought on the sidelines by his opposite number, but that was the case on Saturday as Man City’s organised defence and slick counter-attacks frustrated Chelsea in a game where chances were few and far between despite Chelsea walking into the City of Manchester Stadium boasting seven more league goals than anyone else in the country. Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba had earlier combined to lethal effect as Chelsea stormed to the top of the table, where they’ve remain still in fairness, but has that rare slip up in the league knocked some of the confidence and swagger out of a Chelsea side which has lost just once in Europe on home soil in thirteen games?
Marseille
Group F Position: 3rd
Group F Form: L (0-1 Spartak Moscow – H)
Winners of the 2009/2010 French Ligue 1 title, Marseille are aiming to qualify for the latter stages of the UEFA Champions Leagues for just the second occasion and will most definitely fancy their chances of doing so in a group where only English champs Chelsea stand out, although stand out they do. However, Didier Deschamps’ side made a terrible start to life in Group F by losing their opening game 1-0 at home to Russian side Spartak Moscow – One of the shocks on the opening round of matches and a huge set back for the French champions.
Picking up as many points as possible at home is crucial for every club competing in Europe’s elite club competition, even for the likes of Chelsea, so Marseille’s failure to seal all three points, or even a share of the spoils on Match Day 1 has meant the French side must make amends elsewhere, although they’ll be hard-pressed and huge underdogs to collect their first points of the campaign away in England at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, where their opponents are at the summit of the Premier League table despite a rare slip up over the weekend.
Whereas Chelsea opened their accounts for the season in some style, winning their opening five league games of the season as well as thumping Slovakian champions MSK Zilina in their Champions League opener, Marseille began in drastic fashion, suffering back-to-back defeats in Ligue 1 before finally finding their rhythm with a five-match unbeaten run – 3 wins and 2 draws. Deschamps’ side were victorious at the weekend, goals from full-back Taiwo and Lucho Gonzalez sealing a win of vital importance as Marseille collect some winning momentum following two successive wins back home ahead of a daunting trip across the English channel to face the toughest team in their group.
Marseille were famously part of last season’s ‘Group of Death’ with AC Milan, Real Madrid and FC Zurich. The French side failed rather miserably in their attempt to qualify for the knock-outs but did pick up two favourable results away in Switzerland against FC Zurich and in Italy with AC Milan, beating their Swiss opponents before earning a 1-1 draw at the San Siro. However, before that Marseille had lost their previous six away encounters in the competition and it’s a nasty statistic like that which only underlines their frailties ahead of such an overwhelming outing in England with the English champions and league leaders, Chelsea.
Match Prediction: Chelsea to WIN – 1.33 WilliamHill
We expect Chelsea to put a miserable outing in the league behind them on Tuesday by despatching of a rejuvenated Marseille side, who have made a brisk return to form following a five-game unbeaten run in Ligue 1.
Although the Man City loss was disappointing, it is by no means panic stations at the Bridge. Carlo Ancelotti’s side came up against a very focused and extremely defence orientated Man City side, who caught Chelsea cold on the break as the Blues suffered their first defeat of the season. City’s manager Roberto Mancini did expose some Chelsea flaws, athough there weren’t many in fairness, but this Chelsea team is still the strongest in the English Premier League by some way right now, most definitely on the basis of form but more importantly the quality they have up front really does pack an authorative punch. Unless Marseille manager Didier Deschamps has the tactical nous of an Italian bred Roberto Mancini, with Italian’s well known for their tactical football blood, it is unlikely the French outfit will be able to live with Chelsea throughout 90 minutes. If not careful, and if the space and time on the ball isn’t restricted by Marseille, they could be punished severely in what could turn out to be a long night for the Ligue 1 champs.
Soccer-Betting Value Bet: Chelsea/Chelsea (HT/FT) – 1.95 bWin
Match Odds:
Chelsea – 1.33 WilliamHill
Draw – 5.50 Bet365
Marseille -12.00 SkyBet
