Sky Sports pundit and former Arsenal forward, Charlie Nicholas thinks that Chelsea will just about manage to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
With Dynamo Kyiv all but certain to beat the hapless Maccabi Tel-Aviv at home, Jose Mourinho’s men need to avoid defeat against their manager’s former club Porto to qualify, but Nicholas thinks that they’ll manage to grab a narrow win.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said:
[Chelsea] still need to draw and I think they’ll fall over the line with a potentially uncomfortable but ultimately successful night. I predict a 1-0 with [Diego] Costa to score first.
The former Scotland international also spoke about his confusion about how Mourinho is utilising Spanish star Cesc Fabregas and said that the former Barcelona man should be deployed further up the pitch.
I said last week, I don’t know why Jose Mourinho wants to keep playing Cesc Fabregas in a deeper role. His influence has to be creative, not work ethic. He’s not got the pace about him but he has speed of mind to open things up, just as he did last season with his assists for Costa and Eden Hazard. Willian seems the only man to keep them going.
The 53-year-old also backed Mourinho’s decision to bench Costa after the striker disrespected the manager by throwing a bib at him after he was left out of the starting XI at White Hart Lane. However, Nicholas went on to say that he expects the Spaniard to be in the team tonight as there’s a real possibility that a defeat could cost Mourinho his job.
I think Mourinho had to leave Costa out after the incident last week but I think he’ll bring him back on Wednesday night as his job is genuinely on the line. I never thought I’d say that about Mourinho. I don’t think they’ll make the top four now so what have they got to play for if they go out?
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