With one foot into the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Chelsea will be hoping to seal the deal in a straightforward fashion when they travel to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev on Thursday.
The Blues are unbeaten so far in their continental campaign this season and kept that record intact with a 3-0 victory over their hosts at Stamford Bridge in the first leg last week.
Maurizio Sarri’s side did require a late equaliser from Eden Hazard however to take a point away from Wolves in the Premier League this weekend, suggesting perhaps that their pre-Carabao Cup final woes are not fully put to bed.
Regardless, their trip to the Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex presents them with a great opportunity to confirm themselves as frontrunners for European glory – and with all other hopes of silverware over for the year, their manager will be keen to bolster his standing after a rocky few months.
| Game | Dynamo Kiev vs Chelsea |
| Date | Thursday, March 14 |
| Time | 5:55pm GMT / 1:55pm ET |
| Stream ( US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
Next Match
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| UniMas | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the UK, the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 3 and will be available for streaming on the BT Sport Live app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 3 | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Dynamo Kiev squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Boyko, Bushchan, Rudko |
| Defenders | Kedziora, Burda, Shabanov, Mykolenko, Sidcley, Kadar |
| Midfielders | Shepelev, Sydorchuk, Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Buyalskyi, Alibekov, Tche, Andriievskyi, Bueno, Harmash |
| Forwards | Rusyn, Duelund, Supriaha |
Alyaksandr Khatskevich is still unable to call upon star striker Fran Sol, who will be out for around a month and a half with a shoulder injury.
Benjamin Verbic is however back after missing last week’s clash through suspension.
Confirmed Dynamo Kiev starting XI: Boyko, Kedziora, Burda, Kadar, Mykolenko, Sydorchuk, Shepeliev, Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Sidcley, Garmash.
Bench: Bushchan, Tche Tche, Andriyevskiy, Bueno, Shabanov, Smirniy, Alibekov.
| Position | Chelsea squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Arrizabalaga, Caballero |
| Defenders | Azpilicueta, Zappacosta, Rudiger, Luiz, Christensen, Cahill, Ampadu, Emerson, Alonso |
| Midfielders | Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Drinkwater |
| Forwards | Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Higuain |
Maurizio Sarri has no fresh injury concerns, and having rotated his squad for the draw against Wolves, may opt for a similar line-up as he did against Dynamo last week .
Callum Hudson-Odoi gets his first start in a month, while Eden Hazard has been rested with the international break looming.
Confirmed Chelsea starting XI: Kepa, Zappacosta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Kante, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud, Willian.
Bench: Caballero, Jorginho, Barkley, Hazard, Pedro, Azpilicueta, David Luiz.
Betting & Match Odds
Chelsea are the slight favourites to prevail and are priced at 6/5 with bet365 . Dynamo Kiev are meanwhile available at 13/5 while a draw is 12/5.
Match Preview
Having given themselves what very well may be an insurmountable advantage with their first leg victory, Chelsea head to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev for a Europa League quarter-final spot on Thursday.
The Blues swept aside their visitors at Stamford Bridge in the reverse last week, delivering an emphatic 3-0 win to keep their spotless record on the continent this season intact.
It provided yet another boost for Maurizio Sarri following a difficult new year that has seen a resurgence over the past few weeks.
With their hopes of domestic silverware over – and their chances of qualifying for the Champions League reliant on a downturn in form for both Arsenal and Manchester United – the club know that their best passage to the premier European competition may very well be to lift this trophy instead.
However, a slight blip at the weekend, when Eden Hazard’s late strike was required to rescue a point against a tenacious Wolves , proved that ‘Sarriball’ was still having some teething troubles in its application.
Ahead of that encounter, Sarri went so far as to offer the idea las that his blowout with Kepa during the Carabao Cup final has served as a positive impetus for the team going forward .
"In the end, the Kepa situation was a good thing for our group, too," he stated.
"In the last five matches, we won four matches and drew against Manchester City. In five matches, we conceded only one goal. So we are improving in consistency.
"But we have to be careful. We had a long period of good results in the past and then, suddenly, two weeks of disaster. So we have to be careful."
Sarri also added that he felt his side could do more to support Jorginho , who has been a favoured player for the Italian since his arrival, but is widely seen as a weak link by pundits elsewhere.
“Jorginho, if the other players do not move without the ball, is in trouble, because he is really very able to play with one touch," he added.
“Of course if you want to play with one touch you need movements with the other players.
“I know him very well. He can go in trouble if all the rest of the team is not moving.
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