One London club has already lost today, as Arsenal went down 1-0 at Bate Borisov. Elsewhere, Sevilla, Internazionale and Benfica all enjoyed impressive away wins.
Travelling Chelsea fans hoping to get over their repulsion at their team’s performance in Manchester may have chosen to visit some of the Malmo’s attraction before kickoff. The Disgusting Food Museum, for instance, where visitors are “challenged to reassess their perception of what is and isn’t palatable”. Exhibits include maggot-infused cheese from Italy, ammonia-scented shark from Iceland and, perhaps, Ngolo Kante on the right wing.
TEAMS
Sarri has made five changes to the lineup that started Sunday’s humiliation in Manchester, but there’s still no place for Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Malmo: Dahlin; Safari, Rieks, Bachirou, Traustason, Christiansen, Bengtsson, Nielsen, Vindheim, Antonsson, Rosenberg
Subs: Melicharek, Larsson, Binaku. Lewwicki, Strandberg, Ahmedhozic, Gall
Chelsea: Kepa; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Christensen, Emerson; Kovacic, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Willian
Subs: Cabellero, Rüdiger, Kanté, Higuain, Hazard, Hudson-Odi, Zappacosta
Referee: A Kulbakov (Bul)
Preamble
Technically, this first leg is about Chelsea trying to set themselves up well for next week’s home leg and, they hope, safe passage into the last 16 of the Europa League. But, more broadly, today’s mission for Maurizio Sarri’s team is to show unity of purpose, sharpness and actual dignity in the wake of Sunday’s 6-0 spanking by Manchester City. That defeat was merely the most damnable of a run in which they have also been trounced 4-0 at Bournemouth and 2-0 at Arsenal. Can they end their terrible away form today? Or at least score their first away goal of the year? If they can’t, then expect more calls for Sarri to be replaced by someone more flexible and/or more able to motivate this odd squad. On the other hand, a rousing win might convince a few more people that Sarri knows how to pull this lot together and should be given more support.
Malmo began this season in the Champions League before being eliminated in the preliminary stages by Vidi, who were later eliminated themselves and wound up meeting Chelsea in the group stages of this competition, where they were pesky opponents (losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and gaining a 2-2 at home, the only match Chelsea have not win in this competition this season). Having dropped into the Europa league, Malmo have had a decent European campaign, finishing second in their group below Genk but above Besiktas and Sarpsborg. They are a hard-working and well organised unit under manager Uwe Rösler and haven’t lost any of their last eight home European matches. Their best player is said to be 36-year-old Markus Rosenberg (zero goals in 28 appearances for West Brom half a decade ago). It would, of course, be wrong to underestimate the hosts yadda yadda blah blah blah. Anything less than a Chelsea win here would be embarrassing for the Premier League crew.
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