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Following a comfortable 2-0 victory away from home in the first leg, Chelsea are almost on the verge to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League since 2013/2014. Porto have been handed a mammoth task of overturning the tie, with both teams travelling to Seville once again for their quarter-final clash on Tuesday night.
Thomas Tuchel and his boys started the first leg rather sluggishly. They had almost allowed the Dragons to control the tempo in the first 20 minutes, before England starlet Mason Mount put his name on the scoresheet with an absolute beauty of a turn and finish.
Despite this early lead, Chelsea were having a difficult time against Porto’s rigorous counter-attacks while Mendy and the back four had to work very hard to deny their opponent. The match went on to produce some great chances for both sides before Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell put the tie to bed through a sublime effort in the 85th minute.
So tonight, the Londoners will be eager to produce a similar resolute performance to book their place in the semis after seven years of waiting. Stats are also in favour of Chelsea, revealing that they had made it through the Champions League knockout tie eight out of the last ten occasions when they won the first leg.
Meanwhile, Sergio Conceicao’s FC Porto are eyeing on a miracle to qualify for the semi-finals, which have been elusive since their victorious campaign in 2003-04. Even though they overcame the Juventus hurdle with their historic victory in the previous round, Porto now has to score at least twice against a formidable Chelsea defence.
But worryingly enough, the Dragons have won just once in their last twenty Champions League knockout ties away from home. And their record against English clubs is dismal too, losing five and drawn two of their last seven games.
Key Players
Mason Mount: If you follow Chelsea’s fixtures regularly, you’d be aware of the fact that Mount has been performing week in and week out, running his heart out, dragging Chelsea out of their misery almost single-handedly at times. After Frank Lampard was shown the door earlier this season, most of the footballing world had written him (Mount) off, as the Chelsea academy graduate had thrived exclusively under Lampard. Unsurprisingly, Tuchel confessed his fondness for the 22-year-old. Now it seems that the fans are coming to terms with his class as well. We saw how Mount stood tall in the first leg while the front three struggled to score yet again. The young attacking midfielder opened his account in the Champions League with an excellent display of flair, and undoubtedly, he’s one of the major players to keep an eye on.
N’golo Kante: Words cannot simply justify N’golo Kante’s contribution to the Blues since his arrival in 2016. The 30-year-old played a key role in back-to-back titles with Leicester City and Chelsea and helped his country lift the World Cup in 2018. Despite all these triumphs, the French international was asked to provide more than just security to the back-four by former boss Maurizio Sarri. So, when Frank Lampard took the realm in 2019, people started suggesting that Chelsea should replace him with Declan Rice of West Ham for the long run. But Tuchel’s arrival saw Kante being rejuvenated once again in a comfortable role, making him one of the best defensive midfielders today.
Pepe: The former Real Madrid defender, now 38, performed at the highest level against Juventus in the second leg of the round of 16 ties. His dogged mentality was so exceptional that the Bianconeris attacking threats were frustrated over and over again. FC Porto will surely be betting on their defensive stalwarts led by Pepe, who made 18 clearances in the thrilling second leg fixture against Juventus even as his team were reduced to 10 men.
Mousa Marega: The 29-year-old Malian forward will have to perform at his best if his team are to qualify for the next round in the Champions League. Even though Marega has scored twice and assisted the same number in as far as eight games, the Dragons have won all seven of their Champions League games in which the centre forward has netted for the Portuguese side.
Prediction
Since taking up the job, Thomas Tuchel has been brilliant in organising Chelsea’s defence, reflecting with the three consecutive clean sheets in the Champions League. The Blues are also unbeaten in nine European matches since their round of 16 exit to Bayern Munich last year. So, with one foot firmly in the semis, Chelsea are the clear favourites for tonight’s contest.
While Porto, who haven’t progressed further the quarter-finals for almost two decades, have to produce something extraordinary against the London club. However, they can clearly draw inspiration from Sam Allardyce’s West Brom to eliminate Chelsea.
