Qarabag vs Chelsea preview: Blues head to Baku in search of third straight Champions League triumph | OneFootball

In what is expected to be one of their most straightforward assignments of this season’s Champions League, Chelsea visit Qarabag on Wednesday.

Both teams have collected six points from a possible nine in Europe’s premier club competition and are firmly in contention for a place in the knockout stage.

Qarabag preview

After seeing off Benfica and FC Copenhagen in the first two rounds of matches, Qarabag’s perfect start was ended by Athletic Bilbao on October 22.

Leandro Andrade’s first-minute strike had Gurban Gurbanov’s men dreaming of another historic night, before Gorka Guruzeta’s double on either side of a Robert Navarro effort turned the game on its head.

That result was 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 European outings, which helped get their continental campaign back on track after an opening defeat to Bayern Munich.

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.

Wednesday’s visitors have opened the scoring in eight straight matches, although their hosts have only failed to break the deadlock on two occasions during that timeframe.

Team news

Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is out for the season, while Benoit Badiashile is also unavailable due to a muscle problem.

Cole Palmer has not featured since September 20, as he continues to recover from a groin injury.

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 him 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.