Michael Owen makes bold prediction for Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid clash
Chelsea will play host to Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie tonight. The Blues have a 1-0 advantage right now, and Michael Owen has backed them to qualify for the next round.
Olivier Giroud scored a stunning overhead kick in the first leg of their Round of 16 fixture last month, giving Thomas Tuchel's men an away-goal advantage.
Chelsea have been solid defensively, and pundits are backing the Premier League side to make it to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
While Michael Owen has backed Chelsea to edge past Atletico Madrid tonight, he believes that the Spanish side will score a goal at Stamford Bridge, and the match will end in a 1-1 draw.
The former Liverpool man wrote in his BetVictor column:
"Chelsea put in a vintage European away performance in Madrid to come away with a 1-0 victory. Since Thomas Tuchel's arrival, the Blues have been pretty much rock solid at the back and another strong defensive performance will be required here."
"Tactically, I find this one fascinating, as Madrid are likely to be patient knowing that they could get caught out if they throw caution to the wind too early. With that in mind, I can see both sides cancelling each other out and Chelsea going through to the quarter-finals."
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid pre-match stats
Chelsea have won just one of their three home matches against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Their most recent encounter in the knockout stages was in the semi-finals of the competition in 2014, when they lost 3-1.
Atletico Madrid, on the other hand, have lost to Chelsea three times in the Champions League, joint-most with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Should the Premier League side win tonight, they would become the team to beat Los Rojiblancos on most occasions in the competition.
Chelsea have a couple of concerns ahead of the game. Jorginho and Mason Mount have been suspended, while Thiago Silva and Tammy Abraham have been ruled out due to injuries.
Meanwhile, all players are available for Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone.