Chelsea v Zilina - "Easy win for Blues"
Andy Gray has been the UK's leading football pundit for more than 20 years. An international footballer who won trophies with Aston Villa, Everton and Wolves, Andy is now a lead commentator on Sky Sports and a widely-respected voice within the game. Here he previews the key Champions League games on Tuesday night...
Chelsea v MSK Zilina
Roma v Bayern Munich
It's pretty obvious that Chelsea are going through a bad patch right now. Three losses in four Premier League matches would have been unthinkable towards the start of the season when they were racking up cricket scores against all-comers but a combination of injuries and a dip in form amongst those players who have remained fit has seriously dented their chances of retaining their Premier League crown.
What Chelsea need right now is a home tie against weaker opposition than they've been facing over the past few weeks just so they can finally score a few goals and get some of that early season confidence back. Zilina are therefore almost the perfect opponents for them to be facing. They haven't picked up a single point so far in this year's Champions League campaign and have conceded 15 goals, scoring just once.
Michael Essien will be back for this one after being suspended in the league and his return will make a huge difference to their midfield, providing endless energy and drive. The goals have dried up in recent weeks for the likes of Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda but that's not to say they haven't been playing well, and this match will provide them with a great chance to find their shooting boots once again in a match I expect Chelsea to win easily.
Over in Group E, Roma play Bayern Munich in a tie that' s very hard to call in terms of predicting the end result but one which should provide plenty of goals. Fourteen goals have been scored in each of the two sides' four matches and with more attacking talent on show than defensive stability on either side, I think it will be a case of more of the same.
Over 2.5 goals should pay out but it may be worth pushing the boat out a little more and having a punt on the over 3.5 goals barrier being broken.
Andy's tips:
Back Chelsea to win 3-0 at [8.6] and any unquoted at [3.45]
Back over 3.5 goals in Roma v Bayern Munich at [2.96]
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Published: 23 Nov 2010
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