Cigars Out at Stamford Bridge

With Chelsea starting the home leg of this Champions League encounter with a seemingly unassailable lead of 2-0, it’s proven a challenge to find an angle with decent value in the betting market. Another win for the Blues is nothing more than a 1/3 shot and the goalscorer punts are complicated by the prospect of Ancelotti rotating his squad. Chelsea face Man City in the league on Sunday and that looks like a crucial clash in the battle for the title, or at least Champions League spots, depending on your levels of optimism.

With this in mind, it seems unlikely that the Chelsea players will push themselves too hard tonight, so long as the tie looks to be settled in their favour. After more contemplation, the draw on the night starts to look surprisingly tempting at the price of 9/2, available with bet365. Admittedly, this is a tip that has the potential to backfire if the Danish team have already thrown in the towel, but the Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken is certainly making all the right noises.
“It’s stupid to go into it defensive when you are behind 2-0,” he said. “If we score they will be nervous. I can guarantee that.”
In contrast, Ancelotti has mooted the possibility of resting Torres for the perceived sterner test at the weekend. It is also suggested that Essien and Anelka will start on the sidelines, presumably to be wheeled out in an emergency.

Don’t get me wrong, Chelsea proved their superiority in the first leg, so I don’t see a major upset on the cards here. But the point is that a draw on the night would be perfectly acceptable to both players and manager, though they are unlikely to admit it publicly. Furthermore, Copenhagen are probably not as ordinary as the first leg made them look. They were still wiping away the cobwebs following the Danish winter break, but another three weeks of football will have done them a world of good. It’s not enough to back them to win at Stamford Bridge at 11/1 or qualify at 33/1, but a face-saving exercise could well be on the cards.