Atletico Madrid v Chelsea odds : Mourinho’s side looking too big to ignore at 4/1 in Champions League clash
Chelsea find themselves as 4/1 outsiders in their Champions League semi-final first leg against an Atletico Madrid side who are on the verge of a historic double
A mix of good fortune and smart tactics have helped Chelsea enjoy a strong run in the Champions League but Jose Mourinho’s side will need to at their very best if they are to get something from their clash with Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Atletico Madrid |
10/11 |
Draw |
9/4 |
Chelsea |
4/1 |
has fought hard throughout the campaign and they have beaten the likes of Galatasaray and PSG to make it to the final four for the first since they won the title back in 2012.
Jose Mourinho will be forced to make a couple of changes before heading to Madrid though as Branislav Ivanovic is
suspended for the clash meanwhile winger Eden Hazard is battling to overcome a calf injury that has kept him out for the past fortnight.
This means that Ashley Cole is likely to start at the Vicente Calderon whilst Peter Cech is also set to return to the squad after missing the defeat to Sunderland at the weekend through illness.
Despite never being a popular hunting ground for other English teams, Spain has been somewhere that has served Chelsea well with The Blues winning their last 7 games there in a run stretching back to 2005.
However, they face an Atletico Madrid side who are brimming in confident having knocked out Barcelona in the last round in a commanding performance over both legs.
The main headache surrounding Diego Simeone is whether he can play Thibault Courtois in goal as the Belgian is currently on loan from The Blues and could prove to be ineligible for the clash.
Aside from that dilemma, Simeone will have a full squad to choose from after discovering that playmaker Arda Turan and top scorer Diego Costa will be fit to play in the first-leg following late fitness tests.
The current La Liga leaders will certainly be confident going into the first leg knowing that no English team has ever won a competitive fixture at the Vicente Calderon.
There’s no doubt that Chelsea will be keen to get something from Madrid to give them something to use when they meet in London but Atletico are one of the most in-form sides in Europe and will make for extremely tough test on Tuesday evening.
