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Played
December 5, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stamford Bridge — London
Referee: B. Nijhuis
Attendance: 40084
December 5, 2012 7:45 PM GMT
Stamford Bridge — London
Referee: B. Nijhuis
Attendance: 40084
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| Chelsea | 1.11 | 1.00 | 1.12 | 0.00 | 1.00 | 1.10 | 1.02 | 1.05 | 1.08 |
| Draw | 9.00 | 51.00 | 8.00 | 0.00 | 41.00 | 10.00 | 13.00 | 11.50 | 10.26 |
| Nordsjælland | 17.00 | 71.00 | 21.00 | 0.00 | 201.00 | 23.00 | 50.00 | 69.00 | 23.94 |
Chelsea - Nordsjaelland Preview: European champions must win to keep knockout phase hopes alive
The Blues need to secure a victory and rely on Shakhtar Donetsk beating Juventus in Group E's other clash in order to secure their passage out of the group stage
By Alfie Meekings
Getty
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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CHELSEA
 Cech Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, Luiz, Cole Mikel, Ramires Mata, Oscar, Hazard Torres |
FC NORDSJAELLAND
 Hansen Parkhurst, Gundelach, Runje, Mtiliga Adu, Stockholm Lorentzen, Christensen, John Nordstrand |
Chelsea will be without Frank Lampard (calf) and John Terry (knee), with both expected to be available to face Sunderland at the weekend. Daniel Sturridge (hamstring) is also a doubt but could make the substitutes’ bench.
Rafa Benitez has so far appeared to be keen to shake up the trio behind the misfiring Fernando Torres, with Victor Moses and Marko Marin both involved in recent weeks. However, with the Blues in dire need of a victory, the Spaniard could resort to the supporting three that started the season so well.
For Nordsjaelland, Jores Okore – who has played every Champions League game for the visitors this season – will sit out after picking up a thigh injury against Esbjerg in November.
Ramires, David Luiz, Patrick Mtiliga and Ivan Runje are all one yellow card away from incurring a suspension.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Chelsea must win to qualify for the knockout phase of the competition. However, if Juventus beat Shakhtar in Group E’s other game, the Blues will go out regardless of their result against Nordsjaelland.
- The Danes have lost five of their last eight games on the road.
- The hosts are on a run of six competitive matches without a win, something which has not happened since 1996.
- This is the visitors' maiden season in the Champions League and they are yet to achieve a win (W0 D1 L4).
- Gary Cahill (pictured, right) has blocked more shots per game in all competitions (1.7) than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.
- The Superliga champions currently sit second in their domestic league.
- Chelsea have the joint-best disciplinary record in the competition, having picked up just five yellow cards in five matches this season.
- This will be Rafa Benitez's first Champions League game in charge of a club since his Inter side lost 3-0 to Werder Bremen in 2010.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Chelsea FC 5-0 FC Nordsjælland
- 15.24 %
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Chelsea FC 3-0 FC Nordsjælland
- 11.43 %
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Chelsea FC 4-0 FC Nordsjælland
- 8.34 %
| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Dec 5, 2012 | Chelsea FC 6 - FC Nordsjælland 1 |
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| UEFA Champions League (UCL) | Oct 2, 2012 | FC Nordsjælland 0 - Chelsea FC 4 |
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Chelsea FC
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| May 24, 2013 | Chelsea FC 3 - Manchester City FC 4 | FR |
| May 19, 2013 | Chelsea FC 2 - Everton 1 | EPL |
| May 15, 2013 | Benfica 1 - Chelsea FC 2 | EL |
| May 11, 2013 | Aston Villa 1 - Chelsea FC 2 | EPL |
| May 8, 2013 | Chelsea FC 2 - Tottenham 2 | EPL |
FC Nordsjælland
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| Dec 5, 2012 | Chelsea FC 6 - FC Nordsjælland 1 | UCL |
| Nov 20, 2012 | FC Nordsjælland 2 - Shakhtar Donetsk 5 | UCL |
| Nov 7, 2012 | Juventus 4 - FC Nordsjælland 0 | UCL |
| Oct 23, 2012 | FC Nordsjælland 1 - Juventus 1 | UCL |
| Oct 2, 2012 | FC Nordsjælland 0 - Chelsea FC 4 | UCL |
| Returns: | Chelsea £11.25 |
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Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets | |
| Returns: | Draw £510.00 |
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Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 | |
| Returns: | Nordsjælland £2010.00 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
| 1 | Petr Cech | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Branislav Ivanovic | Defender |
| 3 | Ashley Cole | Defender |
| 4 | David Luiz | Defender |
| 24 | Gary Cahill | Defender |
| 6 | Oriol Romeu | Midfielder |
| 7 | Ramires | Midfielder |
| 13 | Victor Moses | Midfielder |
| 17 | Eden Hazard | Midfielder |
| 9 | Fernando Torres | Striker |
| 10 | Juan Mata | Striker |
| 22 | Ross Turnbull | Goalkeeper |
| 19 | Paulo Ferreira | Defender |
| 28 | César Azpilicueta | Defender |
| 34 | Ryan Bertrand | Defender |
| 11 | Oscar | Midfielder |
| 12 | John Obi Mikel | Midfielder |
| 21 | Marko Marin | Midfielder |
| 1 | Jesper Hansen | Goalkeeper |
| 8 | Patrick Mtiliga | Defender |
| - | Michael Parkhurst | Defender |
| 19 | Mark Gundelach | Defender |
| 21 | Ivan Runje | Defender |
| 5 | Anders Christiansen | Midfielder |
| 6 | Enock Kofi Adu | Midfielder |
| 7 | Nikolai Stokholm | Midfielder |
| - | K. Lorentzen | Midfielder |
| 23 | Mario Ticinovic | Midfielder |
| 15 | Joshua John | Striker |
| - | David Jensen | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Henrik Kildentoft | Defender |
| - | M. Maxsø | Defender |
| 10 | Mikkel Beckmann | Midfielder |
| - | Andreas Laudrup | Midfielder |
| 24 | K. Issah | Midfielder |
| - | Kristian Lindberg | Striker |
| Branislav Ivanovic | |
| Position: | Defender |
| Squad Number: | 2 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most of the talk surrounding Chelsea this season has been about the creative midfield trio playing behind Fernando Torres. But, after conceding eight in five games, Rafa Benitez will want to focus on improving his side’s defensive record.
Ivanovic has stepped in at centre-back recently and has barely put a foot wrong. If the Blues are to keep the Danes out, the aerial presence and positional awareness of the Serbian will play a vital role in doing so.
Ivanovic has stepped in at centre-back recently and has barely put a foot wrong. If the Blues are to keep the Danes out, the aerial presence and positional awareness of the Serbian will play a vital role in doing so.
| Joshua John | |
| Position: | Striker |
| Squad Number: | 15 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
The Dutchman is Nordsjaelland’s top scorer with nine goals in Denmark’s Superliga, but is yet to find the net in the Champions League. However, he provided an assist for Morten Nordstrand's strike during their 5-2 defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk and was a constant threat down the left.
With the inexperienced Cesar Azpilicueta likely to start at right-back for Chelsea, John will want to test the Spaniard’s defensive abilities.
With the inexperienced Cesar Azpilicueta likely to start at right-back for Chelsea, John will want to test the Spaniard’s defensive abilities.
It’s Nordsjaelland’s first ever season in the Champions League and they are yet to win a game in the competition. Whilst Chelsea have been enduring something of a blip recently, Stamford Bridge can be a formidable venue and they have a number of players that are experienced in dealing with these must-win situations.
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
12 | 0 |
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Robert Lewandowski Striker Dortmund |
10 | 1 |
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Thomas Müller Striker Bayern |
8 | 1 |
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Lionel Messi Striker Barcelona |
8 | 0 |
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Burak Yılmaz Striker Galatasaray |
8 | 0 |
