Chelsea can qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League with victory over Valencia on Wednesday night – and you can hear the clash LIVE on talkSPORT.
Group H is by far the most competitive in the competition and the Blues travel to Spain level on points with their hosts, while Ajax also have seven points ahead of their trip to Lille.
Due to their superior head-to-head record, Chelsea know a victory on Wednesday night will guarantee progress with one game to spare, with Ajax and Valencia set to face off in the final gameweek.
Frank Lampard’s men have an extraordinary record on the road this season, despite the 2-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday.
Until that game, the Blues had won seven consecutive away matches, including a 2-1 victory at Lille and a 1-0 win at Ajax.
Their only defeat in the Champions League this season actually came against Valencia at Stamford Bridge in their opening group game.
LIVE on talkSPORT
Check out all the live commentaries coming up across the talkSPORT network this week
- Valencia vs Chelsea (Wednesday, 5:55pm) – talkSPORT 2
- West Brom vs Bristol City (Wednesday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Astana vs Manchester United (Thursday, 3:50pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Braga vs Wolves (Thursday, 5:55pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Swansea vs Fulham (Friday, 7:45pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Newcastle vs Manchester City (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT
- Charlton vs Sheffield Wednesday (Saturday, 12:30pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Tottenham vs Bournemouth (Saturday, 3pm) – talkSPORT 2
- Southampton vs Watford (Saturday, 5:30pm) – talkSPORT
Ross Barkley blazed a penalty over the bar in that 1-0 loss and has struggled to work his way back into Chelsea’s midfield since, owing to a combination of poor form and injury.
Plus, Lampard now has a wealth of quality at his disposal in that position: even star performer Mason Mount had to settle for a place on the bench against Pep Guardiola’s City.
Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic have pulled the strings for Lampard’s possession-based Blues, while the return of N’Golo Kante has provided a huge boost.
Nonetheless, we expect Mount to return to the starting XI at the Mestalla Stadium, perhaps in place of Kovacic, who has played almost every minute in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Reece James could start following a string of disappointing performances from full-backs Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso.
Their poor form saw Cesar Azpilicueta move over to the left against Ajax and Man City, with James impressing at right-back.
The 19-year-old stole the show in the second-half of Chelsea’s thrilling 4-4 draw with Ajax, and kept Wilfried Zaha quiet during the 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Will Lampard be tempted to use him from the start once again? Here’s how Chelsea could line-up in Valencia:
