Sevilla and Chelsea will battle it out for top spot in Champions League Group E on Wednesday at 9:00 PM
Currently level on 10 points, both sides have already secured safe passage through to the knockout rounds with fellow Group E contenders Rennes and FC Krasnodar behind on just one point each with two games remaining.
Although finishing first in the group could hand either side a potential advantage in the Champions League knockout rounds, both Julen Lopetegui and Frank Lampard may be tempted to rotate their starting XIs in order to keep their squads competitive elsewhere.
Sevilla come into this tie on a run of five consecutive wins across all competitions, including three in La Liga to lift them to sixth place, most recently beating Huesca 1-0 on Saturday.
Chelsea, meanwhile, drew 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, extending their unbeaten run across all competitions to 11 games. The Blues are third in the Premier League, just two points behind joint-leaders Spurs and Liverpool.
So, who will win to effectively seal top spot in Group E? Or will it be a draw between two sides looking to keep their squads fresh?
Where to watch Sevilla vs Chelsea on TV:
- UK: BT Sport 3
- US: CBS & ZonaFutbol
Sevilla & Chelsea’s previous line-ups:
- Sevilla (vs Huesca): Vaclik; Navas, Kounde, Carlos, Rekik; Jordan, Fernando, Oliver; Ocampos, De Jong, Munir.
- Chelsea (vs their previous opponents): Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kovacic, Kante, Mount; Ziyech, Abraham, Werner.
Suso and Oussama Idrissi are both injured, although Jesus Navas returns from suspension for the hosts. Yassine Bounou and Carlos Fernandez are both out.
Lampard has a full squad to choose from with no injuries or suspensions. That being said, with Chelsea’s place in the knockout rounds already confirmed, a raft of changes could be made, with Olivier Giroud, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chrisitan Pulisic, Kai Havertz and Jorginho among those potentially in line for a start.
Players to watch:
- Sevilla: Youssef En-Nesyri once again came off the bench to make a vital contribution for Sevilla at the weekend, scoring the winning goal against Huesca in the 83rd minute, just nine minutes after entering the field. That goal extended the Moroccan forward’s run to six goals in his last seven matches for club and country. En-Nesyri has scored twice in this season’s Champions League despite not yet starting a game so far. Given his form and the chance of rotation, Lopetegui might well reward him with a place in his XI for the visit of Chelsea.
- Chelsea: Such is their current depth, there are a plethora of players at Chelsea who will be eyeing this game up as a chance to get some starting minutes. It could be argued few deserve that chance more than Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has two goals in just 163 minutes of action in the Champions League this season, including one in his last outing against Rennes. The sheer level of talent in front of him in the pecking order at Chelsea right now means Hudson-Odoi’s career has stalled somewhat. However, whether it’s his pace, trickery or ice-cool finishing ability, there’s no doubting his talent. Lampard may be tempted to give him the opportunity to strut his stuff in Andalusia on Wednesday.
Champions League 2020/21 recent form:
- Sevilla: WWWD
- Chelsea: WWWD