We can’t wait to see: Chelsea and Juve’s Champions League ties
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There are unlikely to be many first-time introductions between opponents in the Champions League round of 16, as the draw for the competition’s first knockout stage threw up plenty of familiar permutations.
Half of the eight matches that came out of the hat were played at one stage or another in the tournament last season, but that hasn’t stopped us getting worked up over the thought of some of the tastier ties.
Here’s why:
Juventus v Borussia Dortmund
A replay of the 1997 final is almost impossible to call in 2014, with Ladbrokes making the Italians slim 6/5 favourites to win the first leg, against 9/4 for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
That 1997 showpiece ended with victory for the Germans and is possibly Paul Lambert’s claim to fame considering he marked the wizard that is Zinedine Zidane out of the game.
The pair have only managed to reach the final a collective three times since that battle, but with Juventus setting the Serie A pace and Dortmund struggling bewilderingly in the Bundesliga, this year’s clash is no less intriguing.
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
This is one of the four rematches from last season and if it repeats the drama of their quarter-final clash, we will be in for quite a treat.
As you’ll see from the below fan video, a last-minute Demba Ba strike helped the Blues progress, something they are 4/9 to repeat this year.
Manchester City v Barcelona
Are City capable of stopping Messi, Suarez and Neymar and can Sergio Aguero stay fit enough to play more than one half across the tie?
These are just two questions this repeat of last season’s clash at the same stage pose, with Barcelona prevailing thanks largely to the dismissal of Martin Demichelis early in the second half of the first leg.
Should Aguero manage to shake off his current injury, then the way he put Bayern Munich to the sword in the group stage bodes well for the 2/1-qualification shots.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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