Back Chelsea to storm into last eight

 

Chelsea played poorly in their first-leg defeat at Steaua Bucharest, but Kevin Hatchard expects them to rectify their mistakes at Stamford Bridge...

 

Chelsea vs Steaua Bucharest

Thu 20:05 BST, Live on ITV1

Match Odds: Chelsea 1.38, Steaua 10.5, the draw 5.2

 

Despite an abject performance in the first leg, Chelsea are still very much alive in this tie, and I can't help feeling that Steaua missed a golden opportunity in the Romanian capital. They failed to build on the first-half lead given to them by Raul Rusescu's penalty, and a sleepy Chelsea were denied on numerous occasions by Steaua's impressive keeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

 

If Chelsea can create chances on a bumpy pitch when they are playing well below par, I would expect them to carve out plenty of opportunities at Stamford Bridge, where they will play at a much higher tempo. Admittedly Chelsea's Europa League displays have been poor, but I suspect Sunday's excellent FA Cup comeback at Manchester United will have injected much-needed confidence into a listless squad.

 

Juan Mata and Eden Hazard were outstanding at Old Trafford, as Chelsea recovered from going 2-0 down to draw 2-2, and in the closing stages there was a spring in Chelsea's step that I haven't detected for a long time.

 

Steaua are much stronger at home than they are on the road, and they failed their toughest test on their travels as they lost 2-0 at Ajax in the last 32. While the Romanians are a threat on the break, I don't fancy them defensively - they failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their three away games in the group stage.

 

People often bemoan Chelsea's home record under Rafa Benitez, but the Blues are unbeaten in their last six games at Stamford Bridge, winning four games and scoring 14 goals in the process. In that period they overcame Arsenal 2-1 and delivered beatings to Wigan (4-1) and Brentford (4-0). I think Chelsea are capable of overpowering Steaua, and as such I would back them -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 2.11, and a win like that would see them qualify, so back them to reach the quarter-finals at 1.77.

 

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Back Chelsea -1.5 on the Asian Handicap at 2.11

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