Champions League: 5 most intriguing match-ups of the round of 16
By Abhinav Kini
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
A rematch of last year’s quarterfinal encounter, this is definitely one game to look out for.
When the teams met last season, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was injured in the first leg and missed the second leg as Chelsea went through thanks to a late minute winner from Demba Ba that saw the Blues progress 3-3 on away goals.
Now fit and firing, the Swede will be looking to be fit for both games as he seeks to end a personal wait for the Champions League, a trophy which has eluded him all these years.
The tie will also have a certain significance this time with the transfer of David Luiz over the summer.
Signed from Chelsea in a huge £50 million deal, it’s fair to say that Chelsea benefited much more from the sale. With that said though, there’s bound to be good feelings about this reunion especially as Luiz was adored by the Chelsea faithful despite his occasional erratic performances.
What will also be intriguing about this rematch is the fact that Chelsea are considerably stronger than last year with the notable additions of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas while Nemanja Matic won’t be cup-tied like he was last season.
Prediction: Chelsea