Chelsea winger Estevao Willian was seen at an open training session on Monday, which gave Blues fans a little bit of hope before Tuesday’s do-or-die Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at Stamford Bridge. The 18-year-old has not played in Chelsea’s last six games because of a hamstring injury. His last game was in the FA Cup fourth round win over Hull City in early February.
Chelsea are down 5-2 to PSG after the first leg at the Parc des Princes. Liam Rosenior’s team made terrible mistakes on defence in the last 20 minutes, turning what had been a close game into a night of despair. The Blues haven’t won at home in any competition since January 31. This makes the idea of coming back from a three-goal deficit even more difficult.
Estevao’s place in the matchday squad for Tuesday’s game is still up in the air, though. Defender Levi Colwill and midfielder Dario Essugo were also there, but Colwill is still healing from a serious knee injury that has kept him out all season and probably won’t be able to play in the game.
UEFA are also looking into Pedro Neto’s fight with a PSG ball boy during the first leg, so he might not be able to play. However, as of this writing, he is still able to play. Mykhaylo Mudryk is still serving a temporary ban for doping, and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens is still recovering from a hamstring injury. This leaves Chelsea with very few options for attacking from the wide areas.
It’s a big deal that captain Reece James wasn’t at practice on Monday because he is such an important part of Chelsea’s leadership and quality on the right side. James was very important in the first leg. He made dangerous crosses and won free kicks while the Blues tried to keep up with PSG’s intensity in Paris.
Chelsea Prepare for PSG Onslaught
Chelsea have to beat the holders in the knockout stages after a three-goal deficit for the first time since Deportivo La Coruña shocked AC Milan in the quarter-finals of the 2003–04 season.
The first leg’s most important moment came when PSG coach Luis Enrique brought Khvicha Kvaratskhelia off the bench at 2-2 in the 62nd minute. The Georgian winger then scored two goals and assisted on another in the last few minutes. Kvaratskhelia has scored or assisted a goal every 63 minutes in this season’s Champions League, making him the biggest threat to the Blues on Tuesday night.
PSG have won four of their last five Champions League knockout matches against English teams. They have already knocked out Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal in recent seasons. Luis Enrique has led PSG to victory in two-thirds of the knockout games he has overseen in Paris, which shows how hard this job will be for Rosenior’s team.