Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid; Tuchel’s Blues gear up for a Round of 8 qualification

Updated: 30th September 2023

2020-21 UEFA Champions' League Round of 16 Second-Leg preview: Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid – Stamford Bridge, London – Wednesday, March 17th, 2021 – 20:00 hrs. BST

(Chelsea lead 1-0 on aggregate)

Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid Prediction

Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid Preview

Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea will look to book a berth in the quarter finals when they host Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of a UEFA Champions' League Round of 16 tie on Wednesday night.

Chelsea have emerged from wins over Liverpool and Everton and draws to Manchester United and Leeds without conceding a goal which underlines the tightness in defense the side have developed under Tuchel.

The Blues have been in the Top four of the Premier League for a fortnight now and will look to consolidate that on the back of their new-found confidence.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid lost a great opportunity to keep their lead at the top of the La Liga table intact when they were held to a goalless draw by a 10-men Getafe side.

After looking like they would run away with the La Liga title, Diego Simeone's men have only a four-point lead over second placed Barcelona after managing just three wins from their last six domestic outings. Moreover, they face the unpleasant prospect of making up for an away goal deficit when they face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Last 5 Matches Form

Chelsea form guide: W/D/W/W/D

Atletico Madrid form guide: L/W/D/W/D

Team news

As for Chelsea's team news, Tuchel has not too many concerns going into the March 17th game. Tammy Abraham looks a major doubt for Wednesday after having sustained an ankle injury. Thiago Silva is a doubt as well. Both Mason Mount and Jorginho are out on suspension having accumulated yellow cards.

Atletico Madrid have absolutely no injury concerns whatsoever heading into the second leg and Simeone has a fully fit squad to choose his starting XI from.

Chelsea probable starting XI in a 3-4-2-1 formation: Edouard Mendy (goal); Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech; Olivier Giroud

Atletico Madrid starting probable XI in a 4-1-4-1 formation: Jan Oblak (goal); Kieran Trippier, Raul Jimenez, Stefan Savic, Renan Lodi; Koke, Marcos Llorente, Saul Niguez; Joao Felix, Yannick Carrasco; Luis Suarez

Atletico could come hammer and tongs at Chelsea at Stamford Bridge but could find goals difficult to come by given their rivals' tight defense and their own poor recent form. The likelihood of Chelsea finding a goal are high and in such potentially low-scoring contests, they could just dig in their heels and prevent Atletico from scoring, which is sufficient to take them through.

Selected Bookmaker odds

The latest bookmaker odds quoted below have been taken from the leading football betting sites online and are subject to change.

• Chelsea to qualify: 1/4
• Atletico Madrid to qualify: 11/4

Both Teams to Score

• No: 3/4
• Yes: 1/1

Correct Score

• Draw 1-1 (predicted scoreline)
• Chelsea 1-0: 11/2
• Draw 0-0: 13/2
• Atletico Madrid 1-0: 15/2
• Chelsea 2-1: 17/2
• Chelsea 2-0: 17/2
• Atletico Madrid 2-1: 11/1
• Draw 2-2: 16/1
• Atletico Madrid 2-0: 14/1
• Chelsea 3-1: 20/1
• Atletico Madrid 3-1: 28/1
• Chelsea 3-2: 33/1
• Atletico Madrid 3-2: 33/1

Anytime goalscorer

• Luis Suarez: 13/8
• Olivier Giroud: 6/4
• Timo Werner: 21/10
• Moussa Dembele: 13/5
• Joao Felix: 5/2

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