The Round of 16 of the UEFA Champion's League officially gets underway on Tuesday as two power-house clubs face off in the first leg of matches. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are two storied teams looking to make an impact in this tournament. PSG got a shocking win over Chelsea last season, and they hope to repeat history as the Blues look for revenge in 2016.
Chelsea enters this match with confidence. With the draw first happened, PSG was deemed the heavy favorites to win considering the Premier League club was struggling heavily. However, now that match day has actually arrived, Chelsea has a win streak going and looking better by the match. They still remain in the bottom portion of the Premier League standings, but they are a much improved club from just a few months ago. With 12 unbeaten games to their name, Chelsea is coming off a 5-1 win against Newcastle United.
Injuries could hit Chelsea. The team will be without both Radamel Falcao and John Terry. Kurt Zouma is also going to be out while Nemanja Matic sits suspended following three yellow cards in five group stage matches. The loss of Terry will hurt the worst. The captain hurt his hamstring on Saturday and simply could not get healthy for the match. That leaves the Chelsea defense lacking centerback options heading into the match with an aggressive PSG attack.
PSG will be coming into the match short-handed as well. A social media rank has left Serge Aurier suspended indefinitely from the team. That means PSG will be without one of their top defenders. Marco Verratti will also not be available for this game after he was deemed unfit to place in the game. He will be available for a late-game sub if needed. PSG comes into the match with an inflated record thanks to the lack of competition in their league. They have yet to lose a match this season despite a fall to Real Madrid in November. They also have yet to concede a goal at home in Champions League play. They have already wrapped up their fourth straight Ligue 1 title despite still having a few matches left to play. That means their confidence is high, but they have yet to really be tested. The team is playing with almost flawless form, but can they keep that up against a Chelsea team that has been fighting in the Premier League all year?
