Chelsea can cap a successful week by reaching the Europa League final at the expense of Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Maurizio Sarri’s men fought back from behind to draw 1-1 in Germany last week and return to Stamford Bridge favourites to progress.
Champions League football for next season has already been secured courtesy of a top-four finish in the Premier League, so the pressure is off the Blues ahead of this tie.
Against opponents reeling from a stunning 6-1 collapse against Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday, they will surely fancy themselves.
| Game | Chelsea vs Eintracht Frankfurt |
| Date | Thursday, May 9 |
| Time | 8pm BST / 3pm EST |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision Deportes | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 3 and BT Sport 4K UHD or can be streamed via BT Sport Live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 3 / BT Sport 4K UHD | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Kepa, Caballero, Bulka |
| Defenders | Alonso, Zappacosta, Cahill, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Emerson, David Luiz |
| Midfielders | Jorginho, Hazard, Barkley, Pedro, Loftus-Cheek, Ampadu, Moses, Willian, Kovacic |
| Forwards | Giroud, Higuain |
Chelsea starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, David Luiz, Emerson; Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Kovacic; Willian, Giroud, Hazard
| Position | Eintracht Frankfurt squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Trapp, Ronnow, Zimmermann |
| Defenders | N'Dicka, Hinterregger, Falette, Abraham, Russ, Da Costa, Chandler, Hasabe |
| Midfielders | Torro, Fernandes, Hasebe, De Guzman, Rode, Kostic, Gacinovic |
| Forwards | Rebic, Jovic, Haller, Paciencia, Kostic |
Frankfurt starting XI: Trapp; Da Costa, Abraham, Hinteregger, Falette; Hasabe, Rode; Rebic, Gacinovic, Kostic; Jovic, .
Betting & Match Odds
Chelsea are favourites to win this match, priced 4/11 with bet365. Frankfurt can be backed at 8/1, while the draw is available at 9/2.
Match Preview
Martin Rose
Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Watford on Sunday may not have been their most heralded performance of the season, but it may have been their most important.
With their rivals foundering in the battle to secure a Champions League spot, goals from Ruben Loftus-Cheek, David Luiz and the much-maligned Gonzalo Higuain gave the Blues a success that has booked their place back in the big time.
Now the focus of Maurizio Sarri and his side can shift to securing silverware in the form of the Europa League.
It is a competition that has played second fiddle to the domestic top flight throughout much of the year, but as there is little riding on Sunday’s trip to Leicester, the Blues can double down on sealing a place in Baku for the final.
They found life tricky in Germany seven days ago, conceding the opening goal to the red-hot Luka Jovic, only for Pedro to level matters on the stroke of half-time. There would be no further scoring, giving the English club a marginal advantage ahead of the return.
Eintracht approach the game following a chastening loss on Sunday to Bayer Leverkusen. Incredibly, they conceded six goals in the opening 36 minutes of the game, in which they had just 18% possession, despite playing 11 vs 11 for the duration.
Key man Jovic was rested, but the squad was not weakened to the degree that it justified such a stunning collapse.
“One mustn’t forget that this is only our second defeat of the second half of the season,” sporting director Fredi Bobic pointed out after the game. “It means nothing for Thursday.”
Head coach Adi Hutter is also confident that result was just a blip.
“I believe that as a footballer there is nothing more beautiful than these international games,” he said.
“On Thursday I think that we are getting our heads free again.
“Of course we will speak about the defeat as well. With the way we played, we have little chance on Thursday.
“But I am convinced that the team will show a different side again.”
Frankfurt will have to, else they were be staring down the barrel of another humiliation against an opponent hungry for silverware.
