What: Champions League Semi-final – First Leg
Who: Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea
When: Tuesday 22nd April, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Vicente Calderon, Madrid, Spain
Atleti Dream Big
Atletico Madrid will take their next step in trying to reach a European Cup final when they host Chelsea on Tuesday night in a Champions League semi-final first leg encounter. The Vicente Calderon will surely be rocking when the English side come to town and it remains to be seen whether Atletico Madrid can keep up their superb form from this season.
Diego Simeone has transformed a once mediocre side into one on the cusp of succeeding in Spain and in Europe. If Atletico Madrid can finish this last month of the season strongly then it will undoubtedly go down as the greatest in club history.
Though there was certainly enough evidence throughout the campaign to suggest that they are a team capable of challenging domestically and on the continent, it was not until the capital side dumped Barcelona out of the Champions League that people have really started to take notice. The notion of many observers was that at some point Simeone’s men would fall by the wayside, but instead they remain on course for a mind-boggling double.
Los Rojiblancos warmed up for the Chelsea clash with a 2-0 victory over Elche on Friday. It was the team’s eighth consecutive win in La Liga and showed once again the great form of Atletico Madrid in this crucial part of the season.
Europe, The Last Target?
For Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, this semi-final has taken on even greater importance in the wake of the weekend defeat to Sunderland. As Gus Poyet’s side dealt Mourinho his first ever home league defeat as Chelsea boss, the Blues saw their title challenge go up in smoke. That may be a harsh view of the situation, but with a five-point gap between themselves and top of the table Liverpool with only three games to play, the Premier League title looks to now be beyond them.
In Europe, Chelsea are still very much in the conversation however. Experience and past success in this competition have made the Londoners the favourites to advance to the final in Lisbon on the 24th May. Goalscoring has been a problem for the team on many occasions this season and questions remain of how they can penetrate Atletico Madrid’s stubborn rearguard.
The potential return of Eden Hazard could be a vital boost, but Mourinho will surely want his trio of strikers (Samuel Eto’o, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba) to produce something over the course of these two matches. Chelsea must leave their domestic troubles behind them if they want a good result to take back to Stamford Bridge ahead of next week’s return leg.
Recent form
Atletico Madrid:
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Barcelona (09/04; Champions League)
Getafe 0-2 Atletico Madrid (13/04; La Liga)
Atletico Madrid 2-0 Elche (18/04; La Liga)
Chelsea:
Chelsea 2-0 PSG (08/04; Champions League)
Swansea 0-1 Chelsea (13/04; Premier League)
Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland (19/04; Premier League)
Key absences
Atletico Madrid: None
Chelsea: Eden Hazard (doubt); Branislav Ivanovic (suspended); Samuel Eto'o
Players to watch
Atletico Madrid – Diego Costa: The Brazilian-born hitman has been become one of Europe’s hottest properties over the last two seasons. The spearhead of the Atletico Madrid attack, Costa has gained widespread acclaim for his goals and has attracted the interest of some of Europe’s best sides including Chelsea. It is widely rumored that Costa will end up in London next season. For now, he remains an Atletico Madrid player and his performance could go a long way in determining whether his club can book a place in the Champions League final.
Chelsea – Demba Ba: While much of the focus in Chelsea coming to town will on the return of Fernando Torres to his old club, it may be Ba who surprises the Atletico Madrid defence. The Senegalese came up trumps in the last round against Paris Saint-Germain and will be keen to do the same again against the Spanish. Ba wants to impress Mourinho to earn regular first team football and with Torres appearing to have largely lost Mourinho's faith, the former Newcastle man may be given the opportunity.
Match Prediction
Torres’ return, the eligibility of Chelsea-owned and Atletico Madrid loaned Thibaut Courtois, Mourinho versus Simeone, and old Europe versus new. These are just some of the intriguing storylines behind this match between perennial Champions League contenders Chelsea and new boys Atletico Madrid. The first leg should be fascinating watching and though Chelsea are probably slight favourites, Simeone’s side will certainly feel the weight of expectation. Their supporters will see this as a golden opportunity not to be squandered. Can they rise up and overcome the pressure? Or will Chelsea use their recent experience to make it to yet another Champions League final? Both sides give away little at the back, so the match could be settled by which attack can force a breakthrough. The edge then must go to Atletico Madrid as Chelsea’s attack has stuttered of late. Costa could be the difference in a tight one. Atletico Madrid 1-0 Chelsea.
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