Eintracht Frankfurt vs Chelsea
Uefa Europa League 2018-19 | Semi-final, first leg
Venue: Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt
Kick-off time: 8:00pm BST, tonight
Chelsea are three games away from Europa League glory as they prepare for the first leg of their semi-final tie at Eintracht Frankfurt tonight.
The Blues are still within a chance of top four finish following a weekend where they saved a 1-1 draw at Manchester United, while Tottenham and Arsenal also fell to disappointing defeats.
But with the battle for the Champions League spot intensifying with just two games of the season remaining, their best chance of playing in Europe's premier club competition could rest on Europa League success.
That starts with getting the right result away in Germany tonight.
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Chelsea team news and predicted line-up
Chelsea have major centre-back difficulties at present, with Antonio Rudiger lost for at least three months after undergoing left knee surgery and the lesser-spotted Gary Cahill now suffering with an Achilles tendon problem.
Young Ethan Ampadu is still battling a back issue, meaning that Cesar Azpilicueta has been training as a makeshift central defender in recent days as the only fit cover for David Luiz and Andreas Christensen.
Willian is available after a reckless challenge from Marcos Rojo forced the Brazilian off at Old Trafford, but Callum Hudson-Odoi (Achilles) is out for the season.
Olivier Giroud should lead the line after another underwhelming performance from Juventus loanee Gonzalo Higuain.
Chelsea XI (4-3-3): Kepa, Azpilicueta, Luiz, Christensen, Emerson, Kante, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Giroud, Hazard
Eintracht Frankfurt XI (3-4-1-2): Trapp, Hinteregger, Hasebe, Falette, Da Costa, Fernandes, Rode, Kostic, Gacinovic, Paciencia, Jovic
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.
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.
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.
