UEFA Champions League | Wednesday 11 December | Stamford Bridge | 21:45
It is back to Champions League match day mode for Jose Mourinho’s men who need a win to guarantee that they will finish top of their group.
There is the scenario where they could draw and still finish top, as long as Basel don’t beat Schalke in the other group game.
The Blues have to go down to the wire after suffering a second group defeat against FC Basel back on Match Day Five.
CHELSEA
Chelsea have qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League for the 11th time in their history.
They must win to secure the first place in Group E, while Steaua are already out of the European competition, regardless the result of this game.
This will be the fourth meeting between Chelsea and Steaua, with the Blues leading by two wins to one.
Romanian sides have won on English soil only twice in European competition: Universitatea Craiova beat Leeds United at Elland Road in the UEFA Cup in November 1979, while CFR Cluj had the better of Manchester United at Old Trafford in December 2012 in Champions League.
Before losing their last game to Basel 1-0, Chelsea had scored an average of 3.4 goals per game over their previous five Champions League fixtures.
In the reverse fixture in Bucharest, Ramires scored his first brace in the Champions League as the Blues won 4-0.
STEAUA BUCHAREST
Steaua have put three points on the board in their five group matches so far, but that was from three draws.
This is a side which hasn’t won in 22 UEFA Champions League proper matches now, the Romanian club have not won for 22 games in the UEFA Champions League proper, since a 4-1 success at FC Dynamo Kyiv on 13 September 2006
They are destined to finish bottom of the group, but just an air of caution for the Blues, the Romanians drew in Basel and then held Schalke to a goalless draw on match Day Five.
Steaua have faced English clubs 17 times before and from that they have posted a W5 D4 L8 record.
Their record in England itself though is just W0 D2 L6, so this trip doesn’t bode too well for them.
Steaua will finish bottom of the section regardless of the matchday six results.
They lost 3-0 at Schalke in their first game and in their second away fixture they drew 1-1 in Basel.
Steaua’s failure to beat Schalke on matchday five equalled the longest UEFA Champions League run without a win, set by FC Spartak Moskva between 5 December 2000 and 22 November 2006.
Betting Prediction: CHELSEA on the handicap (-1) 13/20
Chelsea do have goals in them and they will be confident of being too strong for Steaua Bucharest. After their shock defeat at Stoke, Mourinho’s men will look to redeem themselves and this could end up in a goal fest.
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