Thomas Tuchel has said Chelsea shouldn’t under-estimate Lille despite the Blues having the favourites tag heading into the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League match.
The two clubs will battle it out on Tuesday and the Chelsea manager has urged his players to ignore the hype surrounding the fixture.
He said: “We should not think too much of how others could see us as the favourites against Lille. We have to accept at the moment it’s a phase where things feel a bit tight and more difficult than other times. This is the situation for the match on Tuesday.
“It’s important to be realistic and not over-expect from us, and accept games against midtable teams can become difficult. Once we accept that, it’s the first step to feel a certain freedom and become better.
“We are confident of having a good performance because we deliver on a high level in knockout matches, cup matches, Champions League matches. We have the fans behind us. We go step by step, and we will ready to fight with them on an okay level.”
But who will start for Chelsea and where can fans watch? Here’s all you need to know.
When is it?
The match will kick-off at 8pm on Tuesday, 22 February at Stamford Bridge.
How can I watch?
The fixture will be available to watch on BT Sport 2 and subscribers will also be able to stream the match on BT’s website and app.
Team news
Chelsea have some injury concerns with doubts over whether Mason Mount, Cesar Azplicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi will feature. Reece James is thought to still be unavailable with injury, as it Ben Chilwell.
Meanwhile, Lille Angel Gomes is injured but aside from that the French champions have their pick of the pack. Jose Fonte and Burak Yilmaz will have to be careful though as another booking will see them suspended for the second leg.
Predicted line-ups
Chelsea: Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Ziyech, Havertz; Werner
Lille: Jardim; Celik, Fonte, Botman, Gudmundsson; Weah, Andre, Sanches, Bamba; David, Yilmaz
Odds
Chelsea - 2/7
Draw - 4/1
Lille - 9/1
Prediction
Chelsea are fresh from another trophy win at the Club World Cup and a victory over Crystal Palace and so while Lille will pose a threat, the Blues should come away with the win. They have the home advantage for the first leg which will also surely help the Premier League side. Chelsea 2-1 Lille.
