Chelsea vs Slavia Prague

Chelsea vs Slavia Prague: TV channel, live stream, squad news & preview

Chelsea vs Slavia Prague

 Maurizio Sarri's Blues gave themselves a key advantage last week in the Czech Republic and will look to secure a semi-final berth in London

Having secured an away goal on the road in their first leg tie in the Czech Republic last week, Chelsea's Europa League dreams are still burning bright as they return to Stamford Bridge to host Slavia Prague in the reverse tie.

Maurizio Sarri's side snatched a vital advantage thanks to Marcos Alonso's late effort and now the Blues will look to press themselves past their visitors when they welcome them to London.

A Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Sunday means they come into this game on the back of a demoralising loss, but with a domestic top four berth very much touch and go, their continental adventure may be their only passage to the Champions League.

​Chelsea will look to book their place in the Europa League semi-final on Thursday, as they welcome Slavia Prague to Stamford Bridge for the second leg of this quarter final tie.

In what was an unconvincing first leg display, the Blues left it late to snatch an away goal through a fine Marcos Alonso header, giving them an important 1-0 aggregate lead.

Chelsea have the advantage over Europa League quarter-final visitors Slavia Prague, who travel to Stamford Bridge needing to overturn a one-goal deficit.

A 1-0 win in the first leg gives the Blues an edge over the men from the Czech Republic, but if the visitors score at least two then they will go through in the event of an aggregate draw, thanks to the away goals rule.

Maurizio Sarri may be tempted to rotate his team due to injuries from their recent 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the Premier League and a push for a top four finish in the league. With 11 matches unbeaten in this year’s competition, the Blues may feel relatively confident of avoiding a surprise loss.

However, with Slavia Prague currently top of their domestic league and having seen off Sevilla in the last 16 as underdogs, Chelsea should be wary of the threat the visitors can bring.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match. 

Match details

Kick-off: 8pm, Thursday 18 April 2019, at Stamford Bridge

TV channel: Coverage begins from 7.30pm on BT Sport 3, which you can stream on the BT Sport app or on their website

Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

Form: Chelsea WWWWL, Slavia Prague DDWLD

Odds: Chelsea 1-3, Draw 47-10, Slavia Prague 11-1

Team news and expected line-ups

Sarri could field a rotated side for the match, given the lead Chelsea currently have in the tie and with one eye on the league. Antonio Rudiger sustained a knee injury at Anfield and will make way for Andreas Christensen, while Olivier Giroud may be given a start up top after midweek comments expressing his dissatisfaction at his lack of playing time.

Jorginho could be given a rest, with Mateo Kovacic given a start in the midfield, while Marcos Alonso may start ahead of Emerson given his goalscoring efforts in the first leg.

For the visitors, Tomas Soucek will return from a one-match ban and come into the midfield. Slavia Prague have a full-strength side to choose from in the run-up to this fixture.