Boasting a 1-0 lead from the first leg thanks to a trademark Olivier Giroud

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Boasting a 1-0 lead from the first leg thanks to a trademark Olivier Giroud spectacular, Chelsea welcome Atletico Madrid to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of their last-16 Champions League battle on Wednesday evening. The Blues have one foot in the quarter-finals after claiming a vital narrow win – and away goal – against the La Liga leaders on February 23, and Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start to life in London is also at stake this week. The two European superpowers both head into this game on the back of goalless stalemates at the weekend, as Chelsea were held by Leeds United while Atletico could not get the better of Getafe.

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has won/drawn all 12 of his prior games as the Blues’ boss, with his charges conceding just 2.00 shots on target per game. However, Chelsea have not recorded a shutout in any of their last six UEFA Champions League (UCL) Round-of-16 home legs against a club from one of Europe’s five biggest leagues (W1, D2, L3).

The first goal matters greatly, but a late twist can never be ruled out, with five (55.56%) of Chelsea’s last nine UCL games against seeing over 1.5 second-half goals. In addition, a 62.5% majority (five) of their last eight UCL clashes to produce over 0.5 goals have seen at least 50% of the match goals arrive beyond HT.

Atlético Madrid’s average of 3.50 shots on target per game (90 mins only) across their last four trips to England in major competitions will likely take a significant cut here. The Rojiblancos’ 1-0 defeat in the first leg saw them fail to register a single shot on target against Chelsea, and it was the first time they had failed to do so in any UCL game since March 2019.

The first-leg result also extended the Spanish club’s winless run in UCL action against opposition from a top-five European domestic league (D1, L4 – 90 mins). They conceded an average of 1.50 goals per game inside the 61st-75th minute period across the last two losses in that sequence.

Date: 17/03/2021
Time: 23:00
Venue: Stamford Bridge (London)
Pick for this match:
“Under 2.5” – @ 1.61 ( 1XBet )