Eintracht Frankfurt vs Chelsea
Uefa Europa League 2018-19 | Semi-final, first leg
Venue: Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt
Date: Thursday, May 2, 2019
Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST
Chelsea are three games away from Europa League glory as they prepare for the first leg of their semi-final tie at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night.
Maurizio Sarri's hopes of a Premier League top-four finish were boosted this weekend with a 1-1 draw at Manchester United, while Tottenham and Arsenal also fell to disappointing defeats.
That result leaves Chelsea two points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal, but the success of English sides in Europe this means means that even a top-four finish may not be enough for Champions League football.
Should Tottenham win the Champions League, Arsenal win the Europa League, and both teams finish outside the top four, the qualification spot which would normally be reserved for fourth place would be yanked away from Chelsea - and that means the Blues must go all-out in Europe to be sure of their fate.
Chelsea team news and predicted line-up
Antonio Rudiger suffered a recurrence of his knee injury against Manchester United, and will undergo tests amid fears he will miss the rest of the season.
Willian is also being assessed after a reckless challenge from Marcos Rojo forced the Brazilian off at Old Trafford, leaving Sarri short of attacking options with Callum Hudson-Odoi out for the season.
Olivier Giroud should lead the line after another underwhelming performance
Chelsea XI: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Christensen, Emerson, Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Score prediction: Eintracht 1-1 Chelsea
Much depends on which version of Sarri's Chelsea turn up on the night. The Blues were unimpressive in the last round against Slavia Prague despite winning 5-3 on aggregate, with a fortunate 1-0 away victory followed up by a nervy 4-3 home win.
Chelsea have since followed that up with Premier League draws against Burnley and Man United, so Sarri will be seeking a response.
The Blues will fancy their chances of beating Eintracht back at the Bridge, so a score draw would be a likely result in Frankfurt.
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Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- Eintracht to win: 7/4
- Draw: 23/10
- Chelsea to win: 13/8
Semi-final odds
- Eintracht to qualify: 17/10
- Chelsea to qualify: 4/9
First goalscorer odds
- Eden Hazard: 5/1
- Gonzalo Higuain: 5/1
- Luka Jovic: 11/2
- Olivier Giroud: 6/1
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TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be televised live on BT Sport 3. BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match online via the video player and the BT Sport app.
You can follow all the action with Standard Sport's match blog LIVE from Frankfurt on the night.
Head to Head history and results (h2h)
The teams have yet to meet in an official Uefa competition.
Chelsea have a strong record against German teams though, winning six of their eight meetings - including the 2013 Champions League Final against Bayern Munich.
