MADRID, 21 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Chelsea, recently proclaimed world champion, begins this Tuesday at Stamford Bridge (9:00 p.m.) its adventure in the round of 16 of the Champions League, in which it aspires to revalidate its European title, against a LOSC Lille that is looking for the feat nothing to lose.
After winning the Club World Cup, the first in its history, at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium against Palmeiras, Thomas Tuchel’s team faces the challenge of defending the continental title in the knockout rounds, something that only Real Madrid has managed to do since the creation of the new ‘Champions’.
For this, Stamford Bridge will be key, as it was in the group stage, in which they advanced second behind Juventus; In the warmth of their fans, they won their three home games without conceding a goal, and they will try to do it again against Jocelyn Gourvennec’s men to reach France with an advantage.
The German coach will recover one of his regulars, the Spanish side César Azpilicueta, who has overcome the inconvenience that prevented him from participating on Saturday in the victory against Crystal Palace (0-1) with which the ‘blue’ team settled in third place in the Premier League.
Without midfielder Jason Mount, the team’s top scorer in domestic competition (7), or striker Calum Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea will be entrusted to Moroccan Hakim Ziyech and Belgian Romelu Lukaku, who needs to regain the goalscoring nose that has accompanied him other seasons.
For his part, the French champion will seek to focus on the European dream to momentarily forget his disappointing career in Ligue 1, in which he is far from the top. Currently, he is eleventh, 23 points behind the leader PSG, all after reaping two defeats and a draw in the last four dates.
He also went through trouble in the group stage, where he had to wait until the last day to qualify, yes, as first in Group G, with a win away to Wolfsburg (1-3). Before, his victory at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán was essential to seal the goal.
The coach Jocelyn Gourvennec will have the only doubt of the Portuguese Renato Sanches and hopes to have the best version of the Canadian Jonathan David, who after scoring three goals in the group stage has not scored since Christmas.