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Football London
Football London
Sport
Oliver Harbord

Chelsea's Champions League group stage fate and how they can reach the round of 16 without a win

Chelsea have a massive Champions League match against Lille tonight as they look to qualify for the knockout stages.

The Blues have had a mixed time in the competition so far, with no wins at home yet but two impressive victories over Lille and Ajax away from Stamford Bridge.

The chances of getting into the last 16 are in Frank Lampard's side's hands tonight as they take on the Ligue 1 team, who have already been knocked out of the competition.

But how does Group H currently sit and what are the permutations for the Blues to get through to the next round.

The group has been very tight all the way through, but now Ajax are leading the way with ten points, while Valencia and Chelsea both sit on eight.

The good news for Chelsea is that a win tonight over Lille will mean that the Blues will definitely be in the last 16, whatever happens in the other game.

However, if the Blues only muster a draw against the French team, then they will need Valencia to lose away at Ajax, otherwise the Blues will drop in to the Europa League.

If two teams finish the group stage on the same amount of points, then the decision goes on head to head. With Valencia earning a win and a draw against Chelsea, it means they are currently above Lampard's side.

If Chelsea lose against Lille then it won't matter what happens at the Johan Cruijff ArenA, Lampard's side will again drop into the Europa League.

A win for the Blues and for Valencia will mean that last season's semi-finalists, Ajax, will be knocked out of the Champions League.

So for Lampard and his team it remains pretty simple. Win tonight and they will be one step closer to getting back to Istanbul for the Champions League final.

The pressure is certainly on Lampard's side, but he is hoping his young team will be able to see out the game and clinch an important three points.

"I think you can be defined as an individual and as a group by success and what success looks like," Lampard said yesterday. "And this means going into the next stage of the Champions League, which is a place we want to be in and a platform for the players to play.

"I used to love big nights as a player and they are the ones that stick in your mind. So it’s opportunities now for the team, particularly the young players, to make a mark.

"I think it’s good, I like the pressure of this game being a knockout and we are all talking about it. If we’re going to do anything good here then we are going to need lots of these nights."

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