Chelsea can secure their participation in the knockout stages of the Champions League by recording a victory from their trip to Maribor on Wednesday night.
The 6-0 win over their hosts on matchday three at Stamford Bridge has left Jose Mourinho's men top of Group G on seven points.
Consequently, if they collect another three points against Maribor and Sporting Lisbon fail to beat Schalke 04, the West Londoners will be in the last 16 with two games to spare.
In terms of team selection, Mourinho may opt to leave out Diego Costa, who has an ongoing hamstring complaint. With Loic Remy sidelined through injury, Didier Drogba is expected to lead the attack.
Elsewhere, veteran captain John Terry may also be rested, which could present a starting opportunity to Kurt Zouma alongside Gary Cahill.
As for Maribor, centre-back Aleksander Rajcevic will play no part because of a head injury, while it is anticipated that Ales Mejac will undergo a late fitness test.
Chelsea have never played in Slovenia, but three English clubs have previously made the trip to Maribor. Wigan Athletic were beaten last year, while Tottenham Hotspur were held to a draw a year earlier. In 2011, Birmingham City won 2-1 in the Europa League group stages. source: sportsmole.co.uk
Recent form
Maribor: WLWWWL
Chelsea: WWWDWW
Possible starting lineups
Maribor: Handanovic; Suler, Viler, Stojanovic, Filipovic; Viler, Mejac, Mertelj, Bohar; Ibraimi, Tavares
Chelsea: Courtois; Luis, Zouma, Cahill, Ivanovic; Matic, Fabregas; Schurrle, Oscar, Hazard; Drogba
Tag :
Champions League
