Valencia vs Chelsea prediction: How will Champions League fixture play out?
Chelsea have drawn 2-2 against Valencia in their Champions League Group H match in Spain.
The Blues started brightly but could not make their early pressure count, and paid the price when Carlos Soler put Valencia in front shortly before half-time.
But the outstanding Mateo Kovacic replied almost immediately with his first Chelsea goal to level the score going into the break.
Frank Lampard suffered a blow with an injury to Tammy Abraham, who seemed in pain clutching his ribs and was replaced by Michy Batshuayi, but it didn't slow Chelsea's momentum and they took the lead shortly after half-time via Chrstian Pulisic.
Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga then saved a penalty from the captain Dani Parejo, yet Valencia had the final say when Daniel Wass's overhit cross looped over the head of the stranded Kepa and in off the far post in a bizarre moment of fortune.
Hello and welcome along to our live coverage of Valencia vs Chelsea. Here's our reporter Jack Rathborn from Spain ahead of this huge meeting at the Mestalla:
Here's Tammy Abraham ahead of the game, courtesy of the good people at PA:
Tammy Abraham has admitted Chelsea's pivotal Champions League at Valencia is the biggest game of his fledgling career. The 22-year-old striker admitted playing in Europe's top-tier club competition is "a dream come true", but insisted he now has to treat it like his day job in order to thrive. Abraham revealed he scours Youtube for clips of the world's top strikers to steal elements of their play in a bid to reach his peak, ahead of Wednesday's vital Mestalla showdown. Chelsea can secure safe passage to the knockout stages with a victory in Spain, but Valencia can do exactly the same - leaving Abraham well aware the pressure is on. Asked if this is the biggest game of his career, Abraham replied: "I would say so, definitely, I would say so. "It will be the biggest test of our nerves so far. We know coming here isn't going to be easy. But we've got to stick together and leave it all out there. "Before the first game against Valencia, Mason (Mount), Fikayo (Tomori) and I were warming up together and it didn't feel real at that point, that we were all in the Champions League together. "Hearing the Champions League music in the background; we were all in the Championship the season before. So it is a dream come true for us. "I guess you have to take major strides. In my spare time I go on Youtube and watch all the best strikers in the world play in this competition, stealing their ideas and adding it to my game. "I watch so many. Harry Kane, Aguero, Firmino, they are Premier League strikers obviously, but then there's guys like Lewandowski and all sorts of players who have played in this competition before." Chelsea travelled to Spain without injured midfielder Ross Barkley, with boss Frank Lampard admitting the England star showed a "lack of professionalism" when pictured shirtless in a nightclub during the international break. Barkley is battling back from ankle trouble, and while he still has his manager's backing, Lampard was quick to challenge the 25-year-old to shape up. "There are two separate issues, one is the headlines this week, Ross knows how I felt about the first headline," said Lampard. "I backed him then and I still back him now. But he showed a moment of a lack of professionalism as far as I'm concerned. "It's not something that I want to be a pure dictator about and come down hard on, because I also understand all my players are humans and have lives. So he just has to work his way back in, in terms of the fitness thing, and train well. "I like Ross, he's certainly one of my players. And he needs now to show all his reactions on the pitch."
Group H is one of the closest groups in the Champions League with Ajax, Chelsea and Valencia all on seven points.
Tonight's game is a 'must not lose one' according to Chelsea boss Frank Lampard. The Blues lost their opening Champions League fixture 1-0 to Valenica this season and a victory tonight will see them qualify.
Speaking of the last game Lampard said:
"We were the better team but the lesson was, if you sleep for one moment then you get punished,.
In the last match between the sides, at Stamford Bridge, Valencia came away with a 1-0 win after Ross Barkley missed a penalty denying Chelsea a draw.
Despite that Chelsea have scored three goals or more in six of the past 12 European matches and netted four times against Ajax in a spectacular 4-4 draw in their previous match in the competition.
With a final group game against Lille to come Chelsea must avoid defeat against Valencia tonight to keep their hopes of qualification to the knockout stages alive.
Three points would be enough to see them qualify, with a draw also acceptable to keep them in the competition.
Frank Lampard has spoken in the pre-match build up, about the game he said:
"It's much more a must not lose as any game should be I suppose. Considering where we are in the group we know the next game and what it means so it would put us in a very difficult position so there's a lot on it but that's football.
"We've pulled ground back since the first game against Valencia but it's important now that we finish off the job. We've got two games to do it but particularly tonight."
When asked about his two changes to the starting XI Lampard added:
"I've got a competitive squad, I've got good players that are knocking on the door, you look at a game and think I've played a similar sort of team for a while and what are the attributes of the players. So it's no slight on the players that have come out, it needs to be competitive and driven throughout and I'm trusting the players that come in to maybe give us something slightly different. Particularly Reece [James] in an attacking sense."
This season's opening Champions League fixture was Valencia's first win in seven games against Chelsea. They've drawn three and lost three as well.
Chelsea have never lost when playing away at Valencia in the Champions League with two wins and a draw under their belts. They've only face Schalke and Atletico Madrid as often away from home without defeat.
3 mins: Valencia defend the corner and Reece James whips the ball back into the box from the right. It bounces and comes to Willian on the far post who heads the ball over the bar. He needs to hit the target there. A big chance for Chelsea is gone.
6 mins: Kante brings the ball up the pitch and fires it into the box for Abraham who doesn't control it and the ball flies through to Pulisic who loses the ball. Valencia burst forward quickly with Gomez and he wins a free kick as Jorginho tackles him late.
9 mins: The free kick results in a corner for the home side but Chelsea defend it well. Azpilicueta then gets forward for the Blues and puts a decent ball into the box. It misses everyone and comes to Reece James. He sends the ball back in and it flies over everyone heads again.
12 mins: A ball over the top from Valencia sends Maxi Gomez on a run to catch the ball. He races and tussles with Christensen but is overzealous with his challenge and fouls the Chelsea defender.
