Chelsea FC: A Decent Draw

Article by e-Chelsea Correspondent Lee Beevor

It has been a quite wonderful week. Having secured our place in the semi-final with a stirring win at the Bridge against PSG, the last few days have passed with an extra spring in the step. Not even the ridiculously convoluted UEFA draw could dampen my enthusiasm, as Luis Figo waffled on for hours about how the ties are to be decided over two legs, each involving two 45 minute halves of football. When the draw was eventually conducted, I was delighted to see Real Madrid face Bayern.

I would have been equally happy if Chelsea had been second out of the bag, as the Germans were the only team I specifically wished to avoid. A trip to the Santiago Bernabéu would be daunting, with Bale and Cristiano tearing into Azpilicueta and Cole a terrifying prospect. However, Real always gives you a chance and I’m sure we could have scored one or two ourselves to keep matters alive for the return fixture. But it wasn’t to be and I can only hope Real progress to give Jose the chance of thwarting his former employers in their quest for the “Decima”. So it was Atlético for us and what a bonus to have the second leg at home. The Stamford Bridge crowd is still as vocal as ever during these big European evenings and in a tight contest, can give our players the extra adrenaline to carry them over the line. As a unit Atlético is very similar to Chelsea, in so far as their strength is on the defensive side, notwithstanding the offensive talent of Costa and Villa. In fact, a glance at La Liga’s table indicates how similar the two sides have been, with little difference in all the key statistics. Everything points to a titanic tussle, with few goals contributing to yet more nights of high tension – just what we expect from our European adventures! Since the league defeat at Palace, I wrote of my hopes for a silver lining of a Champions League final. Thanks to Demba Ba’s bundled effort, this is a step closer to reality.

UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals

Tuesday April 22: Atlético Madrid v Chelsea

(2nd Leg: Wednesday April 30)

Wednesday April 23: Real Madrid v Bayern Munich

(2nd Leg: Tuesday April 29)

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