Chelsea beat Baggies, as the Champions League returns

Updated On Feb 13, 2018 by David Nugent

Gameweek 27 of the Premier League campaign came to an end on Monday night, as Chelsea recorded a victory over bottom club West Brom at Stamford Bridge. If you missed what happened in Sunday’s games there is a recap here.

To find out more about Monday night’s game please read on.

Olivier Giroud being subed during West Brom game: February 13th 2018Chelsea 3-0 West Brom

The reigning Premier League champions bounced back from consecutive league defeats by recording a comfortable victory over the struggling Baggies.

The Blues took the lead on the quarter of an hour mark. Eden Hazard played the ball to Olivier Giroud, who held off his man and returned the ball to the winger and Belgian international fired home past Ben Foster. The home side doubled their lead just after the hour mark. Cesc Fabregas attempted to find Alvaro Morata in the area, but Craig Dawson produced a block that took the ball into the path of Victor Moses who finished beyond Foster.

Hazard completed the scoring on 71 minutes, as he dribbled towards the edge of the area, before cutting inside and firing past Foster at his near post. The goal capped a magnificent display by the former Lille star.

The victory moved Chelsea back into the Champions League spots. However, the Blues are now just a point clear of fifth-place Tottenham in the race for the top-four. Meanwhile, West Brom are now seven points away from safety and things are looking grim for the Baggies.

Champions League returns this week

The Champions League returns this week, as some of Europe’s biggest clubs go head-to-head for a place in the last eight of the competition. There are massive ties on both Tuesday and Wednesday night this week. Here are the midweek Champions League fixtures:

Juventus v Tottenham (Tuesday night)

The Italian champions could prove to be very difficult opponents for the north Londoners. The Bianconeri have recorded 11 victories in a row in all competitions, so will be confident of gaining a first leg advantage heading into the second leg at Wembley. The Old Lady are the favourites to win this clash.

However, Tottenham heads into the game unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions. The visitors have also won six of their last seven games in this competition. Mauricio Pochettino’s side finished top of their group, taking four points from their two games against European champions Real Madrid.

In Harry Kane, they have one of the hottest strikers in Europe, but Juventus are notoriously tight in defence, so the visitors will have their work cut outscoring an away goal.

Real Madrid v PSG (Wednesday night)

This game is a massive one, between two teams that look like genuine contenders to win Europe’s biggest trophy. Real Madrid, of course, have a recent history of winning the competition, having won the competition in three of the last four seasons.

However, Los Blancos have been enduring a frustrating campaign by their standards. Zinedine Zidane’s team look to be out of the La Liga title race, so winning the Champions League will be their main objective for the rest of the campaign. The home side does have a decent recent record in this competition, winning five of their last seven games, so they will be highly confident of recording a victory in this clash.

This clash against the European champions will be a fine test of PSG’s chances of winning the trophy. The Parisians have been prolific in the Champions League this season, scoring three or more goals in five of their last six games in Europe’s elite competition. The French side could prosper against a vulnerable Real Madrid defence.

Other Champions League ties:

Basel v Manchester City (Tuesday night)

Porto v Liverpool (Wednesday night)

Who will claim victory in the big midweek Champions League clashes?

David Nugent Author

First off, I want to say hi and wish a warm welcome to all gambling aficionados out there! My name is David Nugent and I am editor-in-chief of LegalGamblingAndTheLaw.com. I have always enjoyed various sports, primarily soccer, as I am a die-hard Everton fan.

Over time, I learned more about sports betting and discovered the fascinating online gambling industry. Eventually,...

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