Olivier Giroud scored his first Chelsea goal in 794 minutes as the Blues progressed to the Europa League knockout stages with a 1-0 win at BATE Borisov.
Chelsea's fourth win from as many Group L games - three of them now 1-0 - was played out in freezing fog and memorable only for France World Cup winner Giroud's first Blues goal since May's win over Liverpool.
BATE, comfortably beaten last month in London, struck the woodwork three times and Eden Hazard's services were required for longer than anticipated in Belarus.
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Welcome!
Good evening and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of Bate Borisov vs Chelsea. We'll bring you all the live updates from the match and the latest build-up, starting with team news at about 16:55 GMT.
Chelsea have arrived
Knockout stages in sight
So then, Chelsea can qualify for the last 32 as group winners if they win in Belarus and Vidi vs PAOK ends in a draw.
Maurizio Sarri's side have won all three of their Europa League matches so far this season and managed a 3-1 victory over BATE a fortnight ago.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek got his first hat-trick for Chelsea that night. He starts again this evening and will line-up next to Jorginho and Ross Barkley in midfield.
Hazard starts
The main headline from that Chelsea team news is a start for Eden Hazard, who made his comeback from injury on Sunday after coming off the bench in the Blues' win over Crystal Palace.
Sarri said on Wednesday that Hazard may only play 45-50 minutes, so it may be that the plan is to kill the game in the first half this evening.
Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of this game with illness, meaning Jorginho continues in the holding midfield role.
Davide Zappacosta, Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen and Emerson Palmieri all come in at the back.
The signs are ominous for BATE
Can BATE get a shock win tonight? The stats would suggest that it's unlikely.
The Belarusian side have lost four of their five meetings with English clubs, with all of those matches coming in the Europa League group stages.
They've managed just two wins in their last 15 Europa League games (D5 L8), scoring 13 goals and conceding 33 along the way.
Pre-match thoughts from Sarri
On Jorginho's inclusion: "Jorginho will only play because Cesc Fabregas had a fever yesterday and he’s not available. We don’t want to change our way of football."
On a start for Hazard: "In the last two weeks he has only played 30 minutes. It’s better for Willian to rest and for Eden to play this evening."
More goals for Loftus-Cheek tonight?: "I hope so but I can not ask a midfielder to score in every match. It’s difficult, but I hope so!"
A cold November night
It's three degrees in Belarus tonight. I bet you're glad you stayed at home and chose to follow our coverage instead!
10 minutes to go
It's worth noting that BATE will be in good spirits tonight having won their 13th consecutive Belarusian league title at the weekend with three games to spare.
37-year-old Alexander Hleb, once of Arsenal and Barcelona, starts again for the home side tonight.
Cole impressed by Loftus-Cheek
Former Chelsea and England midfielder Joe Cole is in the BT Sport studios this evening. It's his 37th birthday today. Many happy returns, Joe.
Anyway, back to business. Cole is a big fan of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and thinks he's more than good enough to become a Chelsea regular in the near future.
Here come the teams
Here we go then. The teams are out on the pitch and that very dramatic Europa League anthem can be heard ringing around the Borisov Arena.
Can Chelsea qualify for the knockout stages this evening? We'll soon find out.
2 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Early opening for BATE. Pedro gives the ball away in midfield and Signevich drives towards the Chelsea backline. Nothing comes of the attack but the home side certainly seem to have their tails up this evening.
3 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
You get the feeling this is another big night for Loftus-Cheek. Sarri has used the England man in a wider role in the last couple of weeks and has expressed concerns over his defensive capabilities in the centre of the park. Both him and Ross Barkley start together in the midfield tonight.
5 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Eden's back. The Belgian skips past two BATE players on the left side before fizzing the ball wide to Pedro. He sees his shot blocked before Barkley fires over.
6 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Hazard is fouled as Rios trips him from behind. That could have been a booking.
7 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Chelsea are starting to dominate possession now. Every BATE player is back inside their own half.
8 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Zappacosta surges down the right flank but his cross is easily cleared by BATE. The Italian was excellent in the first meeting between these two teams a fortnight ago.
11 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Jorginho tries to pick out Barkley with a chipped ball into the box but BATE clear away.
12 mins: BATE 0-0 Chelsea
Wow. So close for BATE. What an effort from Baga. The midfielder's 25-yard effort comes crashing back off the post with Kepa beaten.
When is it?
BATE Borisov vs Chelsea begins at 17:55 GMT at the Borisov Arena.
Where can I watch it?
BT Sport will be showing live coverage from 17:15 BT Sport 2 and online on the BT Sport app.
Odds
BATE Borisov to win: 10/1
Chelsea to win: 2/7
Draw: 5/1
Prediction
BATE Borisov 0-1 Chelsea
