With the tie poised perfectly at 1-1 after the first leg in Istanbul two weeks ago, Chelsea face Galatasaray with everything to play for at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
In what should be a pulsating European night in West London, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that he believes this match will go down to the wire.
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Away against the Turkish giants in the first leg, Chelsea took an early lead but a second half rally from Galatasaray proved there’s plenty of life left in this tie. Speaking to reporters ahead of the match, Mourinho believes it will go down to the wire in London.
“I think it is easy. If you look at the result - 1-1 - and you look at the game - one team was better in the first half, another team was better in the second half,” Mourinho said. “I think everything is balanced. So normally it will be the same kind of match, with a result that I believe goes until the end. I don’t think one of the teams is going to make a result where people know already at half-time who is going to win.”
(MORE: Galatasaray tasked with bringing down Chelsea’s fortress)
With an emotional return for Didier Drogba to Stamford Bridge, a sign reading “Drogba - legend” hangs at one end of the stadium, plus a heated sideline battle between Mourinho and former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini brewing up nicely, on and off the pitch there are plenty of intriguing subplots bubbling up before kick off.
But it is the action on the pitch which will likely be the most entertaining as Chelsea look to hit back following their first defeat in 15 PL games on Saturday against Aston Villa, while Galatasaray aim to be the spoilers as they visit the Blues.
Remember, we will have recaps, analysis and reactions from all the UEFA Champions League action right here on ProSoccerTalk.
