Chelsea's UEFA Conference League journey continues into the knockout stages when they travel to Denmark to take on FC Copenhagen in the first leg of their round-of-16 tie.
With the Blues out of both domestic cup competitions and the Premier League title out of reach, the Conference League is now the only competition left for Chelsea to win this season.
Enzo Maresca's side remain the favourites to lift the title in May but first need to overcome Danish side Copenhagen, who defeated Bundesliga outfit FC Heidenheim 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round thanks to a 113th minute extra-time winner from Rodrigo Huescas.
While Chelsea won all six of their league phase matches and finished top of the overall standings, Copenhagen won just two matches and narrowly scraped a play-off spot by finishing 18th. Despite that, the Danes will be hoping to cause an upset against the two-time Champions League winners.
Both sides have met before in European competition which came back in 2011 when FC Copenhagen and Chelsea met in the last-16 of the 2010/11 Champions League.
The Blues, managed at the time by current Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, won the first leg 2-0 in Denmark thanks to a brace from French striker Nicolas Anelka, with the return leg ending goalless at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will be hoping for a similar result whilst Copenhagen will be hoping to defeat another English side having beaten Manchester United in the Champions League group stage last season. Can the Blues secure a vital first leg lead or will FC Copenhagen give their supporters a night to remember?
FC Copenhagen
Manager Jacob Neestrup will be without Mohamed Elyounoussi through injury, though the former Southampton midfielder is set to be available for next week's second leg.
Jordan Larsson, who scored against FC Heidenheim in the previous round, and Lucas Lerager also remain sidelined but could make a return to the starting eleven before the international break. Meanwhile, forward Andreas Cornelius is still unavailable having been out since January.
Chelsea
Having not been included in the squad for the league phase, star player Cole Palmer is in contention to start in Copenhagen having been added to the Conference League squad for the knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca has confirmed the return of defensive duo Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah, with the former having been out since early December whilst Chalobah has recovered from the injury he sustained in the 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa.
Maresca has also confirmed that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez will make his first European start of the season in place of Filip Jorgensen, who played in all six league phases matches.
Likely Line-Ups
FC Copenhagen: Ramaj; Diks, Pereira, Garan'anga, Meling; Delaney, Froholdt; Gocholeishvili, Mattsson, Achouri, Chiaka
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Palmer, George; Nkunku
Key Players
FC Copenhagen: Amin Chiaka
18-year-old Algerian forward Amin Chiaka has excelled in the Conference League this season for FC Copenhagen with four goals to his name. In the league phase, Chiaka netted a brace in a 2-2 draw with Istanbul Basaksehir and also scored in the 2-0 victory over Heart of Midlothian.
With Copenhagen 2-1 down after the play-off round first leg against Heidenheim, the forward scored the all-important opening goal of the second leg to start the comeback as the Danes went on to win 3-1 in extra-time to progress.
Chelsea's defensive problems have been an area of concern this season, which is something Chiaka will be hoping to capitalise on. Can the Algerian striker find the back of the net against the Blues?
Chelsea: Christopher Nkunku
With both Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu out injured, Christopher Nkunku will most likely lead the line for the Blues in Copenhagen.
The Frenchman has seemingly lacked confidence in recent weeks, but a goal and an assist in the 4-0 win over Southampton last Tuesday will certainly provide a huge boost for Nkunku, who will be hoping to add to his five goals scored in the Conference League so far this season.
While Nkunku has managed just five goal contributions in 23 Premier League matches, the forward has flourished in Europe and very much played his part in ensuring Chelsea won all six of their league phase matches.
Jackson and Guiu are both set to return to the side after the international break, so Maresca will be reliant on Nkunku up top to help Chelsea navigate past Copenhagen.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match will be played at Copenhagen's Parken Stadium which has a capacity of 38,190. The stadium is also the home of the Denmark national team and was used for UEFA Euro 2020.
What time is kick-off?
Kick off will be at 5:45pm UK time.
How can I watch?
Viewers in the UK will be able to watch the match on TNT Sports 4, with coverage starting at 5:00pm. Alternatively, highlights from the game will be uploaded on the TNT Sports YouTube channel not long after the final whistle.