In a repeat of the 2011/12 Champions League final, Chelsea welcome Bayern Munich to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday for the first leg of their Round of 16 clash.
Chelsea booked their place in the knockout stages with a nervy Matchday 6 win against Lille as the Blues eventually finished one point ahead of third-place Ajax in Group H.
Frank Lampard’s side have only lost one of their six Champions League games this term – a 1-0 defeat to Valencia on Matchday 1 – and finished the group stage with 11 points.
The English side come into this game on the back of a London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Olivier Giroud and Marcos Alonso got on the scoresheet against Spurs, while Chelsea remain fourth in the Premier League table.
However, the Blues have been very inconsistent this season. Lampard’s men last won back-to-back league games in November and have only managed to win one of their previous five.
On the other hand, Bayern Munich were the only team to cruise through the group stage with a 100% record. Victories home and away against Tottenham, Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade saw Bayern finish eight points clear the top of Group B.
Hansi Flick’s side are also unbeaten in their last nine league games – winning eight – and are sitting pretty at the top of the Bundesliga table once again.
Bayern have rediscovered their ruthless edge of late, silencing their critics with a series of thumping victories. The German side have scored over 2.5 goals in seven on their last nine league games.
Despite centre-back Niklas Sule being ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury, Bayern’s defensive record has also improved in recent games.
Meanwhile, Bayern will also be without midfielder Leon Goretzka and winger Ivan Perisic for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
As for Chelsea, Tammy Abraham is in line to start following a substitute appearance against Spurs. The Blues have lacked a cutting edge up front lately, so the return of Abraham will give the team a big boost.
Still, N’golo Kante remains sidelined through injury, but Ruben Loftus-Cheek could make a comeback after being named in the squad for the previous game.
Bayern come into this game as favourites, but Chelsea are expected to frustrate the German side.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score over 1.5 goals, while a draw is the most likely outcome.
Home
Football 
Basketball
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
