Counter-attacking powerhouses Napoli can end Chelsea’s Champions League dream – and Real Madrid can remove any doubt about their European credentials by booking a place in the quarter-finals at the expense of CSKA Moscow (Champions League – totesport).
Chelsea v Napoli
To chase down a two-goal deficit against ordinary opposition would perhaps not be beyond the realms of possibility for Chelsea but against counter-attacking kings Napoli the task is made that bit harder.
Add into the mix the fact that the west Londoners have no wins in their last five Champions League home knockout games – and confirmation that the Serie A side have scored in every European game this season – and the mission to overturn a 3-1 first-leg defeat becomes nigh-on impossible.
Cast your mind back to February 21 and Andre Villas-Boas signalled the end of the end of his tenure when he made the brave – but regrettable – decision to relegate the likes of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Michael Essien to the bench in Naples.
Napoli took full advantage and goals from Ezequiel Lavezzi, two, and principal striker Edinson Cavani, added more weight to the young Portuguese coach’s shoulders. He would last just two more games.
Roberto Di Matteo has since masterminded two wins, both involving clean sheets, but the fact that Chelsea have to chase this game surely plays into Napoli’s hands.
The Italians have lost only four of the 13 Uefa competition ties in which they were victorious in the first leg at home and Walter Mazzarri has enough firepower at his disposal to pick Chelsea off.
Lavezzi (15/8 anytime scorer), Cavani (13/8 anytime scorer) and Hamsik (11/4 anytime scorer), who has just agreed a one-year contract extension, have all got goals in them and the excellent Gokhan Inler should provide the platform for his more attack-minded team-mates.
Recommendation: Napoli @ 10/3 (90 minutes)
Real Madrid v CSKA Moscow
At a prohibitive 1/8 (draw 8/1 CSKA Moscow 20/1 – 90 minutes), Real Madrid are not expected to encounter too many obstacles, booking a place in the last eight of Europe’s marquee club competition at the expense of CSKA Moscow.
Spain’s capital club won all six group games and were on course to collect a seventh before Pontus Wernbloom on debut levelled with the last kick of the game in Moscow to end the first leg 1-1.
Only Barcelona, twice, have emerged from the Santiago Bernabeu with wins this season and Jose Mourinho’s men have been averaging four goals in front of the Madridistas.
CSKA should not be dismissed lightly and the first-leg stalemate stretched the Russian side’s unbeaten record against Spanish sides to six games, home and away. At this stage two years ago the Army Men also put out another La Liga team, Sevilla FC.
However, Madrid have lost just one of the nine home fixtures against Russian opponents, going down 3-1 to FC Spartak Moscow in the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs’ Cup quarter-finals.
It may play to look elsewhere in terms of value about a Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions so far this season, will relish top billing on the European stage.
Recommendation: The Portugal superstar is priced at 15/8 (first and last goalscorer) and can also be backed at 5/1 for a hat-trick.
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