Chelsea will take on Malmo in the UEFA Europa League round of 32 tie in Sweden tonight.
The Blues had a chastening experience in their last away game as they were hammered 6-0 by Manchester City, and will hope to bounce back.
Malmo, on the other hand, will look to keep the opposition attackers at bay and make a match out of the next contest.
Chelsea will want to leave the Swedbank Stadion with a win ahead of the second leg.
Malmo vs Chelsea – Team News
Uwe Rösler does have a few injury worries to deal with ahead of this crucial clash. Rasmus Bengtsson is out of the side with a leg injury, while Guillermo Molins, Franz Brorsson, and Oscar Lewicki are doubtful.
Maurizio Sarri might have to do without the services of Gary Cahill and Callum Hudson-Odoi. While the former is down with a back injury, the latter is struggling with illness and will be assessed before the match.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also out with a back injury.
Malmo vs Chelsea – Predicted Lineups
Malmo predicted XI: Dahlin, Vindheim, Nielsen, Andersson, Safari, Bachirou, Innocent, Traustason, Rieks, Antonsson, Rosenberg
Chelsea predicted XI: Caballero, Zappacosta, Luiz, Christensen, Emerson, Kovacic, Ampadu, Barkley, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud
Malmo vs Chelsea – Key Men
Captain and striker Markus Rosenberg will be the man to look out for the hosts in this crucial contest. His strike partner, Marcus Antonsson has been among the goals this season and has already notched three goals in the Europa League, his last one coming in the away win against Besiktas.
Antonsson will have to carry his goalscoring form if Malmo are to have a chance of making it difficult for Chelsea in the next match.
With Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain set to be rested, the onus will be on Willian to take the attack to the opposition. Ross Barkley is also expected to play a crucial role in the midfield as well against Malmo.
At the back, Chelsea will have to depend on the experience of David Luiz in the heart of the defence. Emerson’s pace and guile down the left flank are also expected to create problems for the hosts.
Malmo vs Chelsea – Odds
Malmo Win: 9.50
Draw: 4.75
Chelsea Win: 1.40
