Champions League Preview: Atletico Madrid Vs Chelsea in first leg of semi-final

 

Chelsea's pursuit of European glory continues on Tuesday night as they head to Spain for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.

Jose Mourinho's side narrowly avoided elimination in the last eight as they battled back from a 3-1 first-leg deficit to knock out Paris St Germain on away goals thanks to Demba Ba's late strike at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

The semi-final draw then kept Chelsea away from heavyweights Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but it will still take a monumental effort to reach next month's showpiece in Lisbon after being pitted against an Atletico side on the brink of winning the Primera Liga.

Chelsea had also hoped to claim domestic and European glory to mark Mourinho's first season back at the helm in style, but their bid to become Premier League champions suffered a seemingly terminal blow at the weekend as they went down 2-1 at home to Sunderland.

A trip to Anfield this Sunday to face league leaders Liverpool had previously looked like a title decider but Mourinho may now view the Atletico tie as his priority, otherwise the possibility looms large of a campaign without any major silverware.

Mourinho backs Torres
Having directed some thinly-veiled criticism at the officials as he 'congratulated' referee Mike Dean and his chief Mike Riley following Chelsea's defeat by Sunderland, Mourinho was in respectful mood on Monday at his pre-match press conference as he paid tribute to a 'special' Atletico team.

Diego Simeone has transformed Atletico from a mid-table Spanish side to one of the continent's finest, and if they can win the Champions League as well as the Primera Liga it would be an astonishing achievement.

Atletico look poised to finish top in La Liga after defeating Elche 2-0 on Friday to make it eight league wins in a row and stretch their lead over second-placed Barcelona to four points with just four games remaining.

They have been equally impressive in the Champions League, having edged out Barcelona 2-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals after an emphatic 5-1 victory over AC Milan in the previous round, while they were also unbeaten as they topped their group.

Atletico's success has been built on a strong team ethic as well as Simeone's tactical astuteness, but there have also been a number of standout performers who Chelsea will hope to keep quiet.

The 'devil' inside Simeone drives Atletico on
There were even suggestions that the clubs had agreed a deal for goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, on loan at the Vicente Calderon from Chelsea, to sit out the tie unless a fee was paid, but UEFA quickly ruled that any such attempt to bar him would not be allowed.

Courtois' future remains uncertain but his presence in the Atletico line-up will undoubtedly lead to comparisons with Petr Cech, who has been Chelsea's first-choice keeper for the last decade.

Atletico striker Diego Costa, who took his goal tally this season to 35 in all competitions against Elche, has also been linked with a summer switch to Chelsea, perhaps in a deal which would take Fernando Torres in the opposite direction.

Torres remains an Atletico favourite after beginning his career with the club and helping them win promotion to the Spanish top flight, and although he is no longer a regular starter for Chelsea he has been praised by Mourinho on the eve of the tie for his professional attitude.