I am not expecting the greatest spectacle in Switzerland tonight and not too many goals either when Basel face Chelsea.
Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg hosts take on Premier League opposition for the second successive round, having seen of Tottenham in the last eight on penalties, and there is no reason they cannot get the better of the Blues.
Basel and Spurs shared eight goals over 180 minutes in the quarter-finals but I anticipate chances to be limited this evening against Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea and am surprised the unders is as big as 1.93.
The two goals scored by Clint Dempsey at St. Jakob-Park a fortnight ago were the first conceded at home by Basel in 11 matches in all competitions and the Swiss Super League leaders should find Chelsea’s style of play to their liking.
The Blues were undone late on at Anfield on Sunday, drawing 2-2 in a highly controversial clash with Liverpool, but they created very little and have struggled for goals in Europe this term away from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea hardly troubled their hosts in defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk (2-1) and Juventus (3-0) on the road when limping out of the group stage of the Champions League and their Europa League efforts have hardly captured the imagination.
With Fernando Torres leading the line, Demba Ba is cup-tied, Chelsea were 1-0 winners at Sparta Prague in the last 32 before being beaten 1-0 at Steaua Bucharest.
Benitez is certainly a safety-first manager and I don’t expect this tie to be settled either way after the opening 90 minutes, unlike the two sensational Champions League semi-finals witnessed this week.
2pts Back Under 2.5 Goals (Basel vs. Chelsea) @ 1.93 (Bet Victor)