Champions League predictions for Chelsea and Arsenal

The Champions League provided three months of twists and turns as two English teams dramatically crashed out from Europe’s elite in the group stages of the competition.

It was both sides of Manchester which were left in disappointment as they can now only look forward to playing in the Europa League. Yet, the very much un-fancied London clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal topped their respective groups and put themselves one step closer to lifting the coveted trophy.

The draw for the knock-out phase was held in Nyon, Switzerland and included reigning champions Barcelona alongside heavyweights Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Lyon.

We start with Chelsea, a team struggling to find the form and motivation they took for granted under Jose Mourinho. With clean sheets hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, any Blues fan can tell you taking a 3-0 lead with 40 minutes to go doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win. Andre Villas-Boas may be under performing in the league, but he has kept the hopes of a first Champions League trophy alive by topping Group E in some style.

What started with a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen with Fernando Torres laying on both goals, Chelsea became a different team in Europe. A draw followed by another resounding win at home to Genk set the path for qualification. However, it wasn’t to be plain sailing for the Blues and an away draw to Genk opened the door for second-placed Leverkusen who weren’t going down without a fight. The game away at BayArena was highly anticipated with the winning side practically guaranteeing a first-place finish. It was the Bundesliga outfit which grabbed a late winner that night, almost sending Chelsea fans into despair. With qualification now left in the balance, the Blues knew anything but victory in their final game against Valencia would send them crashing out.

It was up to Villas-Boas to show his true potential in a game that would ultimately shape Chelsea’s season. A big change in the starting line-up saw veteran Frank Lampard dropped to the bench, a move which worked wonders for the replacement, Oriol Romeu. The defensive midfielder was one of the standout performers in the 3-0 rout with Didier Drogba bagging two goals either side of Ramires’ effort. A night to remember at the Bridge with the men in blue playing arguably their best game of the season to enter yet another year in the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

Standing in the way of further Chelsea progress is none other than Manchester City’s conquerors, Napoli.

In September 2011, I had noted Edinson Cavani to be the danger man for the Italian club. He didn’t disappoint.

Danger Man

Once again, the big man making all the headlines is Edinson Cavani. Already this season, the 24-year-old has found the net a staggering 18 times in 25 appearances, with four goals already in the Champions League. His aerial ability was matched by his athleticism as he finished superbly against the likes of Man City and Bayern Munich.  Expect him to lead dangerously from the front.

Prediction

This game will heavily depend on whichever Chelsea side turn up. If the likes of Drogba and Lampard put in the performances we know they can do, this could be a very interesting game. However, with past calamitous defensive performances against Everton and Manchester United, Napoli could absolutely humiliate their opponents. I expect an open first leg, with the Italian giants edging Chelsea 1-0. It will be very tight at Stamford Bridge and if Chelsea do score, they have a chance, but if Napoli score, it’s over.

I’m sticking my neck out at this one and saying Chelsea will qualify. Their home game will see them at their best and when the pressure’s on, Villas-Boas seems to find the right formula.

Outcome: QUALIFY

Arsenal, against the odds, qualified with absolute ease, topping their group and progressing to the knock-out stages with a game to spare. Being the first English team to qualify would have been a ridiculous notion a couple of months ago but they have proven they can compete when the chips are down. Arguably finding their feet in the league, the Gunners went on an impressive run of eight games without defeat before being bravely seen off by Manchester City. Poor recent form has seen them struggle for fourth place and even with the 7-1 demolishing of Blackburn, the question remains. Are the Gunners relying too much on one player?

Robin van Persie is the man people instantly think of when talking about Arsenal this season, with a phenomenal 28 goals in 32 games already. However, it was a different story in Europe, with other players managing to find the net to aid the Dutchman. Theo Walcott and Wojeich Szczesny were the heroes of a night in Udinese as the 21-year-old goalkeeper saved a penalty with English winger Walcott scoring the winner, effectively putting Arsenal through to Europe’s elite for the 14th successive season.

The group stages couldn’t have started any tougher for the Gunners as they conceded a last minute goal to Dortmund in Germany to draw 1-1. A win against Olympiakos was followed by an Aaron Ramsey injury time winner away to Marseille, sending Arsenal to the top of Group F. A dismal draw to Marseille at home was considered an opportunity lost but a 2-1 win against Dortmund meant Arsène Wenger’s men qualified with a game to spare. Their final game saw eleven changes and ultimately a poor display which led to a 3-1 defeat to the hands of Olympiakos. It mattered little though as another knock-out phase was already secured.

With an impressive group stage showing, Arsenal would have been kicking themselves to find they had drawn second-placed AC Milan, the runners-up in their group with holders Barcelona. In what will surely be one of the fixtures to watch, this will definitely display the young talent of the Gunners pitted against one of the most experienced sides in the Champions League. If the past two seasons are anything to go by, Arsenal, Milan and neutral fans will find little to be disappointed as the Emirates has been home to some spectacular matches.

Danger Man

Having to play Barcelona twice and still expect to qualify to the next stage is no easy feat, but it’s made a little easier when you have the former Catalan striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic on your side. The 30-year-old has already won over the hearts of the San Siro crowd, well AC Milan supporters anyway, with 21 goals in 26 games. The fact that he has the likes of Pato and Robinho to aid him already boasts the attacking force the Serie A giants have. Expect the Swedish star to pose a real threat to the Gunners, especially having scored against them with Barcelona before.

Prediction

A spirited performance is absolutely vital for Arsenal to stand any chance away to AC Milan but if they perform like they did in 2007, as they became the first English team to beat AC Milan at the San Siro, they have a good chance. However, this is a vastly different team now, and with both scorers Fabregas and Adebayor elsewhere, this is going to be a very tough game. I’m going for a Milan win at home with a draw on the cards at the Emirates. Even with the likes of Van Persie, and temporarily Henry, the Gunners will struggle to outscore Milan.

Outcome: FAIL TO QUALIFY

ATTENTION! Clean Sheets are currently on the look out for new writers to join our team… Click here for more details!

Tags: Aaron Ramsey, AC Milan, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Boas, Bundesliga, Champions, Champions League, champions league trophy, Chelsea, Didier Drogba, Drogba, English, Europe, Fernando Torres, Fixtures, Frank Lampard, Germany, Gunner, henry, Ibrahimovic, Italian, london clubs, Man City, Manchester City, Marseille, Napoli, Olympiakos, Oriol Romeu, QUALIFY, Ramires, Robin Van Persie, Robinho, San Siro, Serie A, Stamford Bridge, szczesny, Theo Walcott, van persie, walcott, Wenger, Zlatan Ibrahimovic