Chelsea FC have a long trip east to take on Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the UEFA Champions League.
The Blues travel to Israel on Tuesday night as they seek to secure their Round of 16 qualification against Maccabi. After a 1-0 victory over Norwich City on Saturday, Jose Mourinho and his men will hope to build some momentum midweek.
With the club’s well-documented struggles, Chelsea desperately needed to successfully see off the Canaries over the weekend. The Premier League was returning after a week off due to international action and the Blues had to hit the ground running, especially given the packed schedule through to the New Year.
Fortunately, Chelsea did indeed negotiate the yellow and green hurdle, albeit with a few scares towards the end. Having said that, the team could have scored upwards of four goals had it not been for some poor finishing and apparent laziness.
Nevertheless, a win is a win and that is all that the Stamford Bridge faithful wanted.
Focus now switches to European action as Chelsea look to dispatch Maccabi with the same ease that they did in the first fixture.
Team selection will be crucial to overcoming what will undoubtedly be a hostile atmosphere in Israel so let’s see who is likely to get the nod.
Next: Goalkeeper