Sparta Prague vs Chelsea: Team News, Match Preview & Likely Line-Ups
Venue: Generali Arena Date: Thursday 14th February Kick-Off: 6pm TV: Live On ESPN
Team News
David Luiz is suspended, and will miss the game along with Demba Ba, who is ineligible after playing for Newcastle earlier in the competition this season. That will limit manager Rafa Benitez's options, but he will look to play a strong team in order to kill the tie off early. Petr Cech returns to his former club ten years after playing in the Champions League with them, and will play despire a broken finger, while Frank Lampard and Ramires will likely start in midfield, with Fernando Torres the only option to play up front.Match Preview
After winning the Champions League last season, Chelsea suffered the ignominy of being the first defending champions ever to be knocked out of the group stages, and tonight will represent a chance to salvage some of their European dignity. Though the prize pot on offer is limited, there are a number of top teams still left in the Europa League, and Sparta Prague themselves will certainly be no walk-overs in their own backyard. The weather could well have some say in the outcome of the game, with freezing temperatures expected at the 20,000 seater Generali Arena, but Chelsea are focused on making history by winning the Europa League this season. If they manage to do so, they will become only the fourth club to have won all three Uefa competitions, after Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich. Former Sparta Prague spoke ahead of the tie to assure Chelsea fans that the team are focused on the competition:Being at home watching Champions League games is the sad part of it. I already watched the Juventus game against Celtic, and Paris St-Germain against Valencia , and you know you should be there but youre not. And it is our own mistake. Ive never played Europa League, I never played Uefa Cup so its interesting. A lot of people will say its not a great competition, whatever, but Im looking at it in this way: if you win the Europa League, you can play the Super Cup and we lost the Super Cup last year and we were really disappointed about that. And if you win the Europa League, we will add a trophy into the cabinet that the club has never won before so for me, its an important competition. And no matter which competition Im in I always want to win. So Im here and I want to win.Chelsea will hope that their opponents suffer from a lack of match fitness, as they haven't played since December in line with their domestic winter break, though they have been allowed a month's training specifically aimed at this match. So it could go either way, especially with Chelsea having endured a tough run of games recently, that shows no sign of slowing, with the potential for two FA Cup ties in the space of four days if they beat Brentford at the weekend. Sparta will have nothing to lose, as Cech says himself, and Rafa Benitez had better beware a very prepared team tonight.