Chelsea will return to European action on Wednesday when they face La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid in the first Champions League game to be played at Wanda Metropolitano.
The Blues cruised to a 6-0 victory over Qarabag in their opening fixture but are likely to find the going a little tougher on Spanish soil as they seek to stretch their unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions.
Atletico were held 1-1 by Roma in their first continental outing of the campaign so will be looking to kick-start their bid for a top-two finish in Group C.
| Game | Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea |
| Date | Wednesday, September 27 |
| Time | 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
Getty Images
In the UK, the game will be available to watch live on television on BT Sport 2, as well as being available to stream live on the BT Sport app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 2 | BT Sport app |
In the US, viewers can watch the game live on television on FOX Sports Net and it will also be available to stream online using FOX Sports GO or the FOX Soccer Match Pass.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FOX Sports Net | FOX Sports GO / Match Pass |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Atletico Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Oblak, Moya |
| Defenders | Godin, Luis, Savic, Lucas, Juanfran, Gimenez |
| Midfielders | Parteey, Koke, Saul, Carrasco, Gabi, Gaitan |
| Forwards | Griezmann, Torres, Correa, Vietto |
Juanfran and Diego Godin were rested for a 2-0 victory over Sevilla at the weekend, but should come back into Diego Simeone’s side.
Thomas Partey is also pushing for a recall to the starting XI and could replace Yannick Carrasco, who was among the goals on Saturday.
Fernando Torres and Filipe Luis will both be hoping to see minutes against their former club.
Potential starting XI: Oblak; Juanfran, Savic, Godin, Luis; Saul, Gabi, Partey, Koke; Griezmann, Vietto.
| Position | Chelsea players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Courtois, Caballero, Eduardo |
| Defenders | Rudiger, Alonso, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Clarke-Salter |
| Midfielders | Fabregas, Kante, Bakayoko, Moses, Kenedy, Musonda, Willian, Hazard, Pedro, Scott |
| Forwards | Morata, Batshuayi |
Thibaut Courtois has been cleared to face his former loan club after landing heavily during a Premier League victory over Stoke on Saturday.
David Luiz is serving a domestic ban and nursing a broken wrist, but he could figure alongside Gary Cahill as Danny Drinkwater is the only Blues star definitely ruled out.
Eden Hazard is likely to be handed a starting berth after being eased back into the fold following his return from injury.
Potential starting XI: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Bakayoko, Kante, Alonso; Hazard, Pedro, Morata.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Getty Images
Chelsea are 13/5 outsiders to emerge victorious on Spanish soil, according to dabblebet, with hosts Atletico Madrid rated at 11/10 to claim all three points. A draw is priced at 11/5.
In-form Alvaro Morata is the 5/1 favourite to open the scoring for Chelsea, with Eden Hazard 15/2 and Pedro 10/1. Unsurprisingly, Atletico star Antoine Griezmann heads the overall market at 10/3, with former Blues striker Fernando Torres available at 5/1.
Click here to see all the available markets and related odds for the game.
GAME PREVIEW
Getty Images
After opening the defence of their Premier League title with a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley, Chelsea have got themselves firmly back on track at home and abroad.
In their seven outings since that surprise setback, Antonio Conte’s side have collected six victories – with a 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal in the Premier League the only blot on their copybook.
They marked their return to Champions League competition with a resounding six-goal mauling of Qarabag, with five-goal and four-goal showings taken in on a domestic stage since then (against Nottingham Forest and Stoke City).
The Blues have players performing at the peak of their powers, with Alvaro Morata grabbing a hat-trick against Stoke on Saturday to take him onto six goals from just seven appearances this season.
He has helped to fill the void created by the absence of Diego Costa, with the Blues’ top marksman from 2016-17 likely to be in attendance at Wanda Metropolitano after finally getting his wish and seeing a £57 million return to Atletico sanctioned.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)