Chelsea's Trip North

Copenhagen v. Chelsea

Get your predictions out there... leave a final score for me in the comments section below!

Chelsea's season in England has burst open at the seams over the last three months. However, they maintained their good form torwards the end of the Champions League group stages when their domestic struggles began back in October. Then they likely had the most favorable matchup of the eight group winners when they drew tiny Copenhagen for the Round of 16, who surprised many by advancing out of Group D with ten points.

The Blues make the trip north insisting that they will take the Lions seriously. Carlo Ancelotti gave us the normal coachspeak, telling the press that his team will be wary of the Danish side's organization and spirit.

You'd expect Chelsea to come through the two legs comfortably. But trips such as these have proved tricky in the past. They goal for the men from London will be to secure a result that takes the pressure off of them for the second leg.

But first, let's talk about FC Copenhagen (never thought I'd write that). Honestly, I know very little about them. They impressed me in the group stages with their discipline and attention to detail on the pitch. They did not overly impress me with their football but they made things difficult on their opponents, especially at the Parken.

Now the second half of Copenhagen's season begins with their hardest tie to date-- a first leg visit from Chelsea. They will surely know that they're up against it, but they also must be aware that their best chance to spur the upset in the tie will require a strong performance today at their home pitch.

Stale Solbakken has a full squad to choose from for the teams' first match back in two months. While physical fitness is at a high level following the conclusion of preseason, the teams' sharpness is at least a big question mark.

Handling Fernando Torres and Nicolas Anelka will be no easy task for Solbakken's side. But he insists that they are full of confidence. Mikael Antonsson and Mathias Zanka Jorgensen are the center-halves, keep an eye on them as they try and corral Torres up top.

Surely Solbakken will realize that his chances of scoring are far greater at home than at Stamford Bridge. That's why things will be especially interesting. You'd have to expect his side to go for it when they get a chance. Any time they can find a bit of space in the midfield, they should press forward quickly as they look for a goal off the counter. That means the performance from speedy Costa Rican international Christian Bolaños and former Chelsea man Jesper Gronkjaer will be essential. Gronkjaer is the name you probably know best from the Superliga team, having employed his trade at CFC, Ajax and Birmingham.

The goalscorer is Dame N'Doye, who has scored 13 times in 18 matches.

Chelsea's performance in this competition is of paramount importance after failing to secure silverware in their EPL (barring a miracle) and domestic cup campaigns.

The Fernando Torres signing is yet to pay dividends. But Ancelotti will keep him in the first 11 tomorrow, relegating Didier Drogba to the bench. Fellow January signing David Luiz is cup tied after already appearing in the competition for Benfica. Branislav Ivanovic deputizes for him.

Quality in the final third will be the key for the Blues. You have to assume that they will have around 60% of the possession, but Copenhagen will work tirelessly to close down any space, so they'll need that little bit extra in order to score. Much of that onus will fall at the feet of Torres, who has looked increasingly dangerous since joining the Blues but has lacked that quality in front of goal.

Torres will need good service from Lampard and Anelka. The Frenchman will be relied upon heavily to hold the ball up and maintain possession, while the playmaking Lampard needs to improve on lackluster performances of recent weeks. He's the guy that can create and get his teammates into dangerous positions, stretching the Copenhagen defense and forcing them to make tough decisions.

In some ways, that makes this match very similar to an EPL trip to a West Brom or Fulham. Chelsea will have the possession, but can they create and finish their chances against an inspired side (buoyed on by their home fans) that will play determined football as long as they're in it?

In past years, Chelsea have shown a propensity for grinding out these types of matches and getting the result they need. But that has not been the case this season. And that makes this match all the more interesting.

The greatest key will be the first goal. If the Blues can get that vital opener, things will immediately get easier for them. A lead means they can afford to be more conservative with the ball and avoid risky passes (meaning fewer possible giveaways and counterattacks in the process), and will eventually have more space to work with as Copenhagen will have no choice but to throw bodies forward.

Clearly, this a match that Chelsea will be favored in. However, trips to face a greatly motivated, but relatively unknown squad have spelled trouble in the past for big clubs. Add in the fact that these types of matches in particular have given the Blues trouble this season, and I think we may well watch a very interesting 90 minutes in the Danish capital.