Chelsea's nightmare Champions League draw as Blues pitted against revenge-hungry giants

Chelsea's nightmare scenario has been mapped out as they wait to find out who they will face in the Champions League round of 16

Chelsea will discover their Champions League round of 16 opponents on Friday - and there's no easy option for Liam Rosenior's side. After a dramatic week of knockout play-off action, the final 16 teams have been confirmed.

While the seeded Blues watched from home - having earned the luxury of skipping this round by finishing sixth in the league phase - the pot has thrown up two possibilities: Chelsea will either have a domestic dust-up with Newcastle or a blockbuster clash with defending champions PSG.

Newcastle secured passage to the round of 16 with an emphatic 9-3 aggregate victory over Qarabag, while PSG edged Monaco 5-4 in an entertaining all-French clash.

When the draw is made on Friday, one of them will be paired with Chelsea, the other against Barcelona. Here, football.london analyses the two potential ties and decides which one Chelsea will be desperate to avoid.

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Option 1: PSG

The reigning European champions survived a massive scare in the play-offs. After a wild first leg, Luis Enrique's side were pushed all the way by Monaco, despite spending a large chunk of both games with a one-man advantage.

They're currently two points clear of Lens at the top of Ligue 1 and are favourites to win their fifth-straight league title. But their form has been a little shaky over the past couple of months. They ended the Champions League group phase with two defeats and two draws in five games, while the likes of Rennes and local rivals Paris FC have beaten them domestically in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, this is a squad overflowing with world class talent. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue (who netted a brace in the first leg against Monaco) and Bradley Barcola form one of the deadliest attacks in world football and with the likes of Vitinha, Joao Neves and Nuno Mendes pulling the strings behind the, PSG have the weapons to hurt any team in a split second.

That said, they do have defensive vulnerabilities. They've conceded eight goals in their last four games in all competitions and have only kept two clean sheets in Europe this season.

Chelsea will also be buoyed by the fact that they smashed PSG in the final of the Club World Cup a few months ago. The Blues were unfancied heading in, but sealed a richly-deserved 3-0 win to clinch the title in stunning fashion.

Option 2: Newcastle

Newcastle might be 11th in the Premier League, but they've been a different animal in the Champions League this season. They absolutely dismantled Qarabag in the play-offs, effectively securing victory in the first leg with a 6-1 win, before winning the return leg 3-2.

In the group phase, they beat Benfica, PSV and Athletic Bilbao, and secured draws away from home against both PSG and Bayer Leverkusen. Having said that, their domestic form has been poor of late. Eddie Howe's side have lost four of their five league games - and six of their last nine in all competitions.

But familiarity breeds contempt. Chelsea know exactly what they are getting with Newcastle: high intensity, physical duels and the atmosphere of St James' Park. While their domestic consistency has vanished, their European nights seem to galvanise the likes of Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes.

Chelsea's record against Newcastle since their PIF-takeover also leaves a lot to be desired. Not only are the Blues winless in their last three encounters with the Magpies, they've won just three of their last nine games against them - with extra time needed in one of those matches.

That said, Chelsea will fancy themselves to score against Newcastle this time out, with the North East club shipping 17 goals in their last eight matches in all competitions. Incidentally, if Chelsea draw Newcastle they will play them three times in the space of a week, with their upcoming Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge sandwiched between the round of 16 first and second legs.

Verdict

Ultimately, drawing PSG will be the nightmare scenario for Chelsea. Yes, Newcastle are dangerous, but Chelsea will be favourites to beat them in what would be the Blues' first European clash with a Premier League team since they beat Man City in the 2021 Champions League final, given their superior domestic form and squad depth.

PSG, conversely, are a different animal. They are the holders. They have the experience of winning the trophy recently and possess individual match-winners in every corner who can turn a tie on its head in an instant.

A trip to St James' Park is tough, but a trip to face the champions in Paris is the tie Chelsea must hope to avoid when the balls are drawn tomorrow.