MOL Vidi v Chelsea - Preview and possible lineups

TEAM NEWS:

MOL Vidi: The home side have no fresh injury concerns, with Marko Nikolic having a full squad to chose from.

Chelsea: Youngster George McEachran has travelled with the squad and could be involved in some capacity, whilst Kepa Arrizabalaga, Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta, N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard will all be rested. Mateo Kovacic, Gary Cahill and Victor Moses all miss out through injury, though the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi will all be hoping to be handed rare starts.

WHO IS SAYING WHAT?

MOL Vidi boss Marko Nikolic:

"We are looking forward to facing one of the best teams in the world, and a world-class coach. I see the headlines, of course: which Chelsea players are travelling and which are not, but you can’t talk about a 'B-team' when Pedro, Giroud or Loftus-Cheek could be in the starting line-up, since they would be stars in most teams in the world.

"When the draw was made, nobody would have expected us to have any chance at all by the time we reached the last game. We have played the toughest possible opponents, but the guys can work miracles, as they have already proved. Many say we have no chance whatsoever, but that is extra motivation: the players want to prove people wrong."

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri:

"For us it’s a very difficult match for us to prepare because we don’t have a material target. The last match [against Vidi] was really very difficult because they defended very well, with low density. it was difficult for us to score. Maybe tomorrow will be a different match because they are fighting for qualification and I think they need to win.

"I don’t know the starting XI. I decided the players who played three matches in six days in the last week had to rest for this match: Kepa, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Kante and Hazard.

"Then we have three injuries: Kovacic, Cahill and Moses. All the other players are here."

FORM:

Did you know?

The previous meeting between the two sides was the first time they had faced each other in UEFA competition.

Vidi's only other home clash against an English side was the scene of arguably their most famous victory, as they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup semi-final on the way to finishing runners-up in the competition.

Vidi have won just four of their 13 European games this season.

POSSIBLE LINEUPS:

MOL Vidi: Scherbitski; Rios, Volkov, Filipenko, Filipovic; Baha, Drahun, Ivanic; Hleb, Sihnevich, Stasevich.

Chelsea: Caballero; Zappacosta, Christensen, Ampadu, Emerson; Loftus-Cheek, Fabregas, Barkley; Pedro, Morata, Hudson-Odoi.