Early on in the Premier League season when Chelsea were cruising and looked set to win the Premier League at a canter, their manager Carlo Ancelotti made the frank admission that his side were more interested in winning the Champions League this season rather than enjoying another triumph in the Premier League.
However, since then, the Blues have begun to be labelled an aging side that is not able to perform at the level achieved in recent years, something that has left them badly struggling to stay in contention in the Premier League title race this season and the Champions League best odds now indicate this could be their best shot at glory.
Despite this, the Blues know that Premier League form and Champions League form are two very different things and that a good performance in Europe can easily undermine any favourites tag in an instant. With the Blues looking forward to a relatively easy first round tie in the knockout stages against Danish minnows FC Copenhagen, they know that their real test to win their first Champions League crown will come during the latter stages of the competition when they meet the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid and the Champions League predictions reflect this.
With the club’s owner Roman Abramovich having always stated that it is his desire to win big in Europe above all else, the Blues know that this may be the last time that several members of their squad are going to have a serious opportunity to win the famous competition. Add to this the fact that the final is at Wembley in London and you cannot argue that the Blues’ squad lacks the motivation required to finally end the record that says that no London club has ever won Europe’s top club competition.
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