Picking a Combined PSG vs. Chelsea XI
The Champions League finally returns on Tuesday as Chelsea travel to France to face Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 matchup.
The fixture is one of the most anticipated clashes at this stage of the competition. It's the third season running these sides have met in the Champions League, and the score stands at one apiece in terms of each team advancing at the other's expense.
Chelsea were victorious in 2014, when Demba Ba's late goal at Stamford Bridge sent the Blues through to the semi-finals on away goals. Last season, PSG exacted their revenge in equally dramatic circumstances in the round of 16.
First it was former Blues defender David Luiz's header at the death to send the tie into extra time after Gary Cahill had put Chelsea ahead on the night. Then, Thiago Silva scored a header himself to cancel out Eden Hazard's earlier penalty, making it 2-2 and 3-3 on aggregate.
Like Chelsea a year earlier, PSG went through thanks to the away-goals rule.
Coupled with the fact both sides have squads crammed full of world-class talent, we should be in for a real treat.
So to whet the appetite, Bleacher Report has drawn on the vast resources Chelsea and PSG boast to create a combined XI. It's been a harder task than we thought too, with some big names missing out.
N.B.: Only players available for selection in the first and second leg of this tie have been considered for our dream team. For example, Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma is out injured for the remainder of the season and is therefore not included.
Goalkeeper
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Thibaut Courtois
Goalkeeper is the one area where Chelsea are clearly the superior side to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Blues have Thibaut Courtois as their No. 1, while PSG have German Kevin Trapp.
Like Guus Hiddink, we're opting for Courtois to keep goal for our select XI. The Belgian is among the world's finest goalkeepers, let alone the Premier League's, and he makes Chelsea's rearguard a much more formidable proposition.
Injury has dented his season, but we've seen the signs Courtois is returning to his best now he's had the best part of two months back in the starting lineup.
He's dominant in the area, and when things were going badly for Chelsea this term, there were times he kept them in matches almost single-handed.
Trapp doesn't have the same presence as Courtois.
Defenders
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Right-back: Gregory van der Wiel
In years gone by, it would have been Branislav Ivanovic occupying the right side of defence in any sort of combined XI with a team Chelsea were facing. The Serbian was among the world's best in his position, but he has fallen behind this year.
Whereas Ivanovic is showing signs of age catching up with him—he's 31 now—PSG's Gregory van der Wiel is in his prime and showing it.
He's an exciting full-back. Van der Wiel can attack teams and support his winger but is also defensively sound. He's dynamic, and that suits the way PSG play week in, week out in France as they have to take their game to opponents.
Centre-back: Marquinhos
Brazilian Marquinhos has rapid pace and has shown his quality for PSG this term. He has good positional sense and is equally capable with the ball at his feet, as you'd expect of most South American players.
Looking at the alternatives at Chelsea, Marquinhos edges it into our lineup for his all-round game. He's also superior to David Luiz when it comes to the fundamentals of defending, with his team-mate often guilty of being caught out of position.
He isn't perfect, but Marquinhos is less erratic than Luiz.
Centre-back: John Terry
Picking up an injury against Newcastle United on Saturday, we're still unsure as to whether John Terry will be fit to face PSG on Tuesday. The fact he's still in for contention means we're not going to write him off, so he makes our XI.
There isn't a better defender at either club. Terry may well be 35 years old, but what he lacks in pace, he more than makes up for in defensive quality. He's a big figure, an organiser and would still make it into most teams based on those qualities alone.
Left-back: Cesar Azpilicueta
The qualities of Cesar Azpilicueta are clear, and in order to select him in our combined Chelsea-PSG XI, we've gone down the route of his real-life managers by playing him out of position at left-back.
Azpilicueta has played there for three seasons, but to the untrained eye, he doesn't look out of place on the left. He has the look of a natural, which is mainly down to his defensive capabilities.
The Spaniard is always well-positioned and rarely caught out by opponents, helping build a solid defensive base and shape.
Midfield
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We're adopting the more traditional 4-4-2 set-up for our select XI, allowing us to deploy two strikers. So this is our midfield selection.
Left midfield: Angel Di Maria
He was a massive flop in England with Manchester United, but Angel Di Maria has rebuilt his reputation with Paris Saint-Germain this season. He's back scoring some wonder goals and also assisting team-mates.
We're seeing Di Maria in full flow in Ligue 1, running at defences and terrorising his opposite numbers.
He's going to be a real threat to Chelsea on Tuesday, getting PSG on the front foot as they look to make their home advantage count.
Di Maria would do the same in our combined XI, providing plenty of width and threat on the flanks.
Centre-midfield: Marco Verratti
Italian Marco Verratti is a real dogged competitor—the sort every side craves in the middle of the pitch. He wins possession back expertly and also boasts good distribution in the way Claude Makelele did during his Chelsea career.
Verratti was a big reason for PSG getting the better of Chelsea in the Champions League last term. He complements the other talents in Laurent Blanc's squad, allowing the more skilful players to get the ball and cause damage.
Centre-midfield: Cesc Fabregas
With Verratti battling for possession and scrapping, Cesc Fabregas would be the perfect foil in midfield. Indeed, when Nemanja Matic was on form last season, we saw the same as his partnership with Fabregas flourished.
Fabregas is a smooth operator, and when he's not being forced to defend all the time, he can affect matches. He has excellent vision to pick out team-mates—just ask Pedro Rodriguez after Fabregas assisted his second goal in Saturday's win over Newcastle United—and he is the sort of player who gets attacks started.
Right midfield: Willian
There hasn't been a better player at Chelsea this season than Willian. While his team-mates have gone down a level, the Brazilian has done the opposite by taking his game higher than we have seen before.
He's developed an end product and is suddenly a big threat from set pieces too.
We make a mistake in thinking Willian is just a hard worker. He isn't, this season demonstrating a much cuter side to his game that often goes unnoticed.
Strikers
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Diego Costa
When he's scoring goals like he is at present, there aren't many better strikers in the Premier League than Diego Costa. Indeed, there aren't many better when we consider those on offer at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
Costa enjoys getting at the last defender, playing on the shoulder to get in behind. Since he's found himself scoring goals consistently once more, it's exactly that quality that has brought him success.
He can be physical when he has to as well, something his disciplinary record—he has received 15 yellow cards in his 48 Premier League appearances to date, per the league's official site—outlines.
He is a real fox in the box, though, and can sniff a goal out from nothing. Now he's back to his best, Chelsea look a completely different team.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
While Costa likes mixing it on the front line, Zlatan Ibrahimovic tends to let his feet do the talking. The Swede is a supremely gifted footballer, and his style would complement Costa, allowing the pair to play off each other.
The biggest problem would be how their egos would clash, but if the goals were flowing, we figure that would work itself out.
Ibrahomvic is equally as physical as Costa, but he is undoubtedly the better footballer. He has all the touches and flicks; he's never one to turn down the opportunity to showboat.
He doesn't waste possession, though. Ibrahimovic scores goals, and the prospect of a partnership with Costa is a mouth-watering one.
The pair have scored over 30 goals combined in all competitions this term, providing the sort of firepower to win matches consistently.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
