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Reasons to be optimistic ahead of PSG draw
The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League could not have been any tougher for Chelsea as they were paired with the strongest team from the unseeded pot in Monaco.
By winning their group, Chelsea were expected to get a favourable draw with Dynamo Kiev, Gent, Benfica and PSV all in the unseeded pot. However, their luck was not in as PSG were only in the unseeded section because they were drawn with Real Madrid in the group stage, meaning one of the two giants were going to qualify in second place.
The last 16 draw means Jose Mourinho’s side will face the French champions at the stage of the competition for the second consecutive year where they will be looking to make up for their disappointing exit in the last 12 months ago.
Thiago Silva’s goal in injury time of the second leg between the two sides at Stamford Bridge was enough for PSG to advance into the quarter-final back in March.
Chelsea and PSG also met in the 2013/14 Champions League in the quarter-finals where the English club advanced on away goals. They lost the first leg 3-1 in Paris but were able to keep their opponents out in the return fixture, winning 2-0 in front of their home crowd.
With Chelsea struggling in the opening third of the Premier League campaign, the Blues’ only chance of playing Champions League football next season may come through winning the competition this campaign.
If Mourinho feels like it is impossible to make up ground to the top four, where Chelsea are at the time of writing 7-1 in the Premier League betting for one of those spots, he may decide to make the Champions League a priority by resting his big players in league games before the European ties. This could give his side an advantage over his opposition as they are likely to be fresher going into the games.
The January transfer window is also expected to be huge for Chelsea. There is no question that Mourinho will invest in his squad. He will be looking to purchase players who have not played Champions League football so far this season, which is no easy task.
John Stones is likely to be at the top of his shopping list. The Blues made several bids for the player in the summer but they could offer in excess of £40 million in order to persuade Everton to sell their promising young English centre-half.
Stones has not played in Europe this season and therefore would be eligible to be registered into Chelsea’s Champions League squad. He is also expected to be a part of England’s Euro 2016 squad in the summer next season so his stock could rise even further if he performs well for the Three Lions at the European Championship.
A striker is also urgently needed by Mourinho. This will be prove tough as there are not many top-class centre forwards who are not playing European football this season. If they want a short-term fix it could come via Jamie Vardy who is topping the Premier League charts with 14 goals.