Inter Milan V Chelsea
Football : Europe : UEFA Champion League
Wednesday 24th February 2010 - Kickoff 7:45pm

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For once, Jose Mourinho will be happy to see Chelsea stumble in the Champions League. In typical fashion, the Special One has been mouthing off about how Chelsea would have won more titles if he had remained at the Bridge.

Now he must back up the talk by getting his Italian champions to knock out the side he turned into an English powerhouse. After the exciting match here last week, it's Italy V England at the San Siro again, only this time, it's the boys in blue.

Inter Milan (Italy - 1st)

Champions of Italy they might be, but Jose, as with Chelsea, can't seem to repeat the Champions League win he famously achieved with Porto.

Milan's other team have not gone past the last 16 since Mourinho took over 3 years ago, and must be sick of running into English opposition in the first knock out round. They've been dumped out of this tournament by Manchester United and Liverpool in the last couple of seasons.

Inter have been excellent at home this season, unbeaten domestically with a solid defence. However they have lost some of that momentum recently with three successive draws in Serie A. Their last game saw them come back from a deficit at half-time to grab an unlikely draw.

Although this maintained their unbeaten home run, the fact that they played the entire second half with only 9 men might impact their fitness levels for this Champions League 1st leg. Chelsea will no doubt try and look for an away goal, which they are always a danger to get, what with their blistering counter attacks, led by Didier Drogba.

Internazionale will need to keep their cool and not get men sent off like they did this weekend, and must also stick to their defensive plans without getting frustrated by Chelsea. It is crucial that they not give Chelsea an away goal, as that would require a very steep uphill battle at the Bridge in 2 weeks.

In Milto, they have a player who can build on his recent good form against a shaky Chelsea defence, and a certain Eto will be eager to have another go at Chelsea, after doing well against them in previous matches

Mourinho knows this Chelsea team inside out. He knows what makes them tick, and he definitely knows their weaknesses. Time to exploit them.

Chelsea (England - 1st)

Premier League leaders Chelsea extended their lead at the top to 4 points with a win at Wolverhampton. The 2-0 scoreline doesn't tell the whole tale, as it took some miraculous goalkeeping by Petr Cech sandwiched by yet another set of goals by their most reliably lethal weapon, Drogba.

The Ivorian's form is just where it was before he left for the ACN, and he has netted 4 times since his return from Africa. The big man does his best work when the pressure is on, so you can safely count on a big effort from him on Wednesday.

The one area in which Chelsea have begun to look weak, is in defence. Once impenetrable, the back four have looked very shaky recently, and mistakes have been coming far too regularly. This past weekend, a better side than Wolves would have scored at least a couple of goals, with captain Terry the main culprit in the heart of the defence.

Since his off-pitch exploits dragged him into the media spotlight, Terry had managed to still perform well for his team, but since returning from a short break in Dubai to cheer up his wife, his concentration and form seem to have gone walkabout.

The defence will be further weakened by the absence of Ashley Cole, who has broken his ankle, along with his pop-star wifes heart. Chelsea must get their minds out of the bedroom and into this game to avoid making costly mistakes against an Inter side all too well-equipped to take advantage.

Carlo Ancelotti is no stranger to Milan. He managed AC Milan at this very stadium for 8 years, guiding them to domestic titles over the same opponents, and the Champions League trophy over Liverpool. The man who has won this title as player and manager must now take the team built by Mourinho, who went within a fluffed penalty kick of lifting the elusive trophy 3 years ago, and outwit their former hero.

The Betting Verdict

This looks too close to call so the draw appeals to me most. If you do decide to take a side, I suggest making it a DNB selection, as both teams will be happy not to lose this match.

The Statistics :

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Bets to consider :
- Drogba to score at any time @ 2.40 (Bet365)
- Take the match to end in a draw @ 3.20 (Bet365)
- Take UNDER 2.5 goals @ 1.70 (Pinnacle)