Maurizio Sarri speaks. “Of course the performance in the final against Manchester City was really very important for us, for the confidence,” he says, asked about Chelsea getting into gear of late. “Results can change the atmosphere in the dressing room.” Of the personnel changes, the Italian adds: “We had to change because the last week was very harmful for us. In the last match, in the last 20 minutes we were really very tired mentally and physically so I decided to change six players.” Of Dynamo, Sarri says: “They played a very good group stage and they are a very young, and very dangerous team with very fast wingers.”
Some good news: Glenn Hoddle is back working for BT Sport this evening, with the former England manager making a return to punditry for the first time since suffering a cardiac arrest in October. The ex-Chelsea midfielder underwent heart surgery at Bartholomew’s Hospital before recuperating at home. Hoddle, 61, who looks really well, says he’s a “very lucky man”.
After digesting team news, sink your teeth into a big story:
Manchester City are being formally investigated by Uefa for alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations.
European football’s governing body announced that its investigatory chamber of the independent Uefa Club Financial Control Body has today opened an investigation into City.
A Uefa statement read: “The investigation will focus on several alleged violations of FFP that were recently made public in various media outlets.”
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Team news news: there is no Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Callum Hudson-Odoi for Chelsea, who do give N’Golo Kanté, Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuaín some downtime as Maurizio Sarri makes six changes from the win at Fulham. Instead, Davide Zappacosta makes his first start since 5 January, while David Luiz is the skipper for the night. In midfield Jorginho gets the nod, despite Sarri suggesting the Italian is knackered. No rest for the wicked, eh? Ethan Ampadu is absent altogether. As for Kyiv, there is a familiar name on the bench for any eagle-eyed Newcastle or, indeed, Huddersfield followers: the defender Tamas Kadar.
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The teams!
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Zappacosta, Christensen, Luiz, Alonso; Kovacic, Jorginho, Barkley; Pedro, Giroud, Willian
Subs: Caballero, Rüdiger, Kanté, Loftus-Cheek, Hudson-Odoi, Hazard, Higuaín
Dynamo Kyiv (4-2-3-1): Boyko; Kedziora, Burda, Shabanov, Mykolenko; Shepeliev, Sydorchuk; Tsygankov, Shaparenko, Buyalskiy; Rusyn
Subs: Bushchan, Sidcley, Kadar, Garmash, Andriyevskiy, Smyrnyi, Tsitaishvili
Referee: Slavko Vincic (Slovenia)
Preamble
Maurizio Sarri has got his Chelsea squad revved-up for some red-hot Europa League action by describing them as drained, with this match the seventh his players will have contested in 18 days. “We have played six, seven, eight matches more than other European teams [this season], which means two months without training,” the Italian said. “For an English team it’s very difficult to be competitive in Europe in March, April.” Sarri was unhappy with the globetrotting pre-season schedule that left his players on their haunches before a ball had been kicked in the league, though Chelsea will still serve up two friendlies 6,000 miles away in Japan this summer. As a result of fatigue within the camp, Sarri will rest several names, with N’Golo Kanté, Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuaín the most likely to get a breather. Dynamo Kyiv, who are second in the Ukraine’s premier competition and seven points adrift of rivals Shakhtar Donetsk, will prove awkward opposition at Stamford Bridge. “You have to be intelligent and clever to find the solutions,” said the defender David Luiz. The Dynamo manager, Alyaksandr Khatshevich, was slightly more philosophical ahead of the third meeting between the teams. History may not be on their side – Dynamo have never won a European match in England in 14 attempts – but their manager is nonplussed. “Before the game, the odds are only ever 50-50,” Khatshevich said. “All I am prepared to say about Chelsea is that they wear blue. It is a bit too early to talk about their form. Favourites only exist on paper.”
Kick-off: 8pm (GMT)
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