In what is expected to be one of their most straightforward assignments of this season’s Champions League, Chelsea are in action at the Tofiq Bahramov on Wednesday, with the challenge of Qarabag lying in wait.
Both teams have managed six points from a possible nine in Europe’s premier club competition so far and are firmly in contention for a place in the knockout rounds.
Qarabag preview
After seeing off Benfica and then FC Copenhagen in the first two rounds of matches, Qarabag saw their perfect UCL start come to an end at the hands of Athletic Bilbao on October 22.
Leandro Andrade’s first-minute strike had Gurban Gurbanov’s men dreaming of another historic night on the continental front before Gorka Guruzeta’s double either side of a Robert Navarro effort turned the game on its head.
That remains Qarabag’s only defeat over the last 11 matches across all competitions, which bodes well for them ahead of their upcoming assignment against Chelsea.
However, they have not fared well in games against their English counterparts, having lost both of the previous two meetings by a combined score of 10-0.
Chelsea preview
Back in the country for the first time since demolishing Arsenal 4-1 in the 2019 Europa League final, Chelsea will have fond memories from their last visit to Azerbaijan.
Enzo Maresca’s men claimed a 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in their most recent outing for a sixth triumph in their last seven matches across all competitions.
This includes wins over Benfica and Ajax in the Blues’ last two UCL outings to get their continental campaign back on track after an opening defeat to Bayern Munich.
Declan Rice posts Twitter message after West Ham’s 3-1 victory over Fulham
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Declan Rice posts Twitter message after West Ham’s 3-1 victory over Fulham
With a mammoth clash against Barcelona still to come later this month, Chelsea will be keen to keep the pressure up on the teams above them by claiming maximum points in Baku.
Tuesday’s visitors have made a habit of starting games on the front foot, and this has seen them open the scoring in eight straight matches, although their hosts have only failed to break the deadlock on two occasions during that timeframe.
Team news
Levi Colwill is out for the season and will not play any part for Chelsea on Tuesday, while fellow defender Benoit Badiashile is also unavailable with a muscle problem.
Cole Palmer has not featured since September 20 as he continues to nurse a groin issue, and the Englishman still has a few weeks to spend out of action.
Dario Essugo is still awaiting his first outing of the season due to a thigh problem he picked up on international duty with the Portugal Under-21s.
Abdellah Zoubir has scored four times in his last seven matches across all competitions for Qarabag, making the forward one to keep an eye on.
Jonathan Montiel missed the hosts’ defeat to Bilbao but recently made his comeback over the weekend, although it is unlikely he will be given the nod to start here.
Qarabag Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Kochalski; Cafarquliyev, Medina, Mustafazada, Matheus; Borges, Bicalho; Zoubir, Andrade, Duran; Akhundzade
Chelsea Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen; Cucurella, Chalobah, Acheampong, Gusto; Caicedo, Lavia; Gittens, Enzo, Estevao; Pedro