Chelsea reconvene their UEFA Europa League campaign tomorrow night when they welcome Dynamo Kiev in for the first leg of their round of 16 tie. This will be just the third time that the two teams have met, with the first two affairs resulting in a Chelsea win and a draw.
These two contests occurred during the group stages of the 2015-16 Champions League competition. Dynamo Kiev have never won a European match on British soil, having drawn three and lost 11. Let’s take a look at the FYIs for this match.
Here’s the lineup we’re thinking Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri might go with on Thursday.
The Bank Chelsea FC Starting XI Prediction vs Dynamo Kiev (UEFA Europa League round of 16)
Attack: Pedro, Olivier Giroud, Willian
Midfield: Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Ross Barkley
Defense: Davide Zappacosta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Emerson Palmieri
Goalkeeper: Willy Caballero
Chelsea FC vs Dynamo Kiev Europa League Round of 16 Leg 1/2 FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday, March 7, 8pm, Stamford Bridge, London
Odds via Bet Fair: Chelsea 3/10, Draw 9/2, Dynamo Kiev 27/10
Odds to reach the UEL quarterfinals: Chelsea 1/5, Dynamo Kiev 3/1
Odds via Bet365 to win Europa League tournament following round of 16 draw: Chelsea 7/2, Napoli 9/2, Arsenal 9/2, Sevilla 11/2, Inter 10/1, Valencia 9/1, Benfica 16/1, Salzburg 25/1
Prediction: Chelsea 3, Dynamo Kiev 0
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.