Paris Saint-Germain and Ukraine defender Illia Zabarnyi is a player Chelsea know a lot about.
They have seen him up close in the Premier League during his time at Bournemouth, whom he left for PSG last year in a £57m deal.
He is a good central defender; he has to be for PSG to spend nearly £60m on his signature. However, Chelsea’s attackers will not fear the 23-year-old.
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Chelsea vs PSG record
Photo by Visionhaus
Illia Zabarnyi has never beaten Chelsea before
Zabarnyi does not have the best record against Chelsea. In fact, the Ukrainian has never actually won a game versus the Blues.
In total, Zabarnyi played against Chelsea four times during his days at Bournemouth. The Cherries drew two of those matches and lost the other two.
The last game between the two sides ended 2-2 at Stamford Bridge. Cole Palmer and Reece James scored that night, with the latter denying Zabarnyi a first win over the Club World Cup winners with a stunning last-minute equaliser from a free kick.
Cole Palmer of Chelsea is challenged by Illya Zabarnyi of AFC Bournemouth
Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
PSG as a whole are missing a bit of confidence right now, according to their manager Luis Enrique. They recently lost 3-1 to AS Monaco.
Based on his record against Chelsea, individually, Zabarnyi may not be the most confident player at PSG heading into Wednesday’s game.
Illia Zabarnyi could have been lining up for Chelsea
Before his move from the Vitality Stadium to the Parc des Princes, Zabarnyi was linked to Chelsea.
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In the last January transfer window, it was claimed that Chelsea had an interest in Zabarnyi. That interest did not materialise into anything, though, and the former Bournemouth man is now set to line up against the Blues once again.
The Conference League holders will not mind, though. Given his record in games versus them, they may actually be happy to see Zabarnyi on Wednesday!
Hopefully Liam Rosenior’s side can increase his winless streak to five before making it six in the second leg later this month.
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