Chelsea face an almost impossible task in the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain after a last-gasp goal by Javier Pastore ensured the Saints take a 3-1 lead into the clash at Stamford Bridge.

And while Zlatan Ibrahimovic will be sorely missed, the visitors remain in the driving seat to reach the Champions League semi-finals.

After failing to get past the group stage last term, Chelsea eased off to the Champions League knockout stages this season, although that was hardly a difficult task having had been placed in a pretty easy group.

The Blues then showed a lot of character to eliminate Galatasaray in the Last 16 phase, but the first leg against PSG did not go according to plan.

Chelsea did well to cancel Ezequiel Lavezzi’s opener, but they then went on to concede two very cheap goals that could cost them dearly in the final count.

And with some important players missing for the Blues, there is little value in backing them to win at 1.85 (17/20) at William Hill.

On the other hand, they are no less than 4.00 (3/1) to qualify for the next stage, but overturning a two-goal deficit will be no easy task.

Jose Mourinho has admitted he may take a risk with Samuel Eto’o, who is carrying a hamstring injury, but Ramires is suspended and Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah are ineligible.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Cech – Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta – Lampard, Luiz – Willian, Oscar, Hazard – Torres.

Paris Saint-Germain have been on the constant uptrend over the last few years, with heavy investment quickly paying off for the Qatari owners.

The Saints are closing in on their second successive Ligue 1 trophy, while they are on the verge of reaching the Champions League semi-finals.

Having been eliminated by Barcelona in the quarter-finals last term, the French giants were determined to go one step further this season and they appear on the right track.

After the double win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first knockout stage, PSG produced a very good performance to record a 3-1 triumph over Chelsea at Parc des Princes, which sees them as 1.29 (2/7) favourites to go through to the semis.

The Saints go into this game on the back of 11 straight victories and having kept nine clean sheets in the process, and they are hoping that will give them the extra edge.

Star forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic has failed to recover in time, but boss Laurent Blanc has no other worries at the moment.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Sirigu – Jallet, Alex, Thiago Silva, Maxwell – Verratti, Motta, Matuidi – Lucas Moura, Cavani, Lavezzi.