Chelsea host Swiss champions FC Basel in the second leg of the semi final of the UEFA Europa League. The Blues have a 2-1 lead from the first leg at St Jakob-Park last midweek, courtesy a late goal from Brazilian David Luiz.

FC Basel v Chelsea, Europa League Semi Final
Reuters

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is scheduled for 8.05pm BST. Live telecast is on ITV and ITV HD (from 8.45pm BST on the latter). Radio commentary is on BBC Radio 5 live.

Overview

The west London side are favourites to progress to the final, with two away goals in the bank. Rafael Benitez's men have had a disappointing season so far: they've lost the Premier League title, were dumped out of the Champions League in the group stages and been eliminated from both the Capital One Cup and the FA Cup. The Europa League represents the last chance for silverware this season.

Of course, the former Liverpool manager must also have one eye trained on the league and the race for a top four finish. Failure to qualify for the Champions League could be financially catastrophic. The club are presently third in the table, with a three point gap to Tottenham in fifth. Arsenal are fourth and only a point back but both Chelsea and Spurs have a game in hand over the Gunners.

With that in mind, Benitez must balance the visit of Basel with the trip to Old Trafford on Sunday. The newly crowned Premier League champions will have gotten over the hangover that restricted them to a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in their previous game and will be eager for all three points.

Chelsea recorded a comfortable 2-0 win over Swansea City in their last game, with Oscar and Frank Lampard easing them forward. The result means they are now unbeaten in the last four games and have lost only twice in the last nine. And the fact they've won six of those seven (they drew 2-2 against Liverpool) means the Blues are very much in form.

Meanwhile, the Swiss side return to England, and London, almost exactly a month after they held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane, in the quarter final. Basel lead the Swiss Super League with a three-point advantage to Grasshoppers. There are still seven games left in the season though, and anything could still happen.

David Luiz (R)
Reuters

However, Murat Yakin's men suffered an embarrassing 0-3 home defeat to relegation-threatened Lucerne over the weekend and that will certainly prey on their minds on Thursday evening. It remains to be seen if it will spur the side on or give the Blues a mental edge.

Worse still, as far as Yakin is concerned, the defeat to Lucerne means his side have won only once in the last five games: a 3-1 home win against FC Zurich. The run includes two European games, both at home, which ended in a draw and a defeat.

Team Form

Chelsea

    • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W D W L
    • Last Match: Chelsea 2 - 0 Swansea City

FC Basel

    • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L L D W D
    • Last Match: Basel 0 - 3 Lucerne
Marco Streller
Reuters

Team News

Ashley Cole is suspended. Ryan Bertrand will replace the England international. Former Barcelona midfielder Oriol Romeu (knee) and German Marko Marin (thigh) are injured and Senegal striker Demba Ba is cup-tied, which means Spain's Fernando Torres will start up front.

Probable Line-Up: Cech; Azpilicueta, Cahill, Terry, Bertrand; Lampard, Luiz, Ramires; Moses, Torres, Hazard

Centre-back Aleksandar Dragovic is suspended and is likely to be replaced by Gaston Sauro. Defender Kay Voser is injured. Yakin is not likely to make too many changes for this game, despite the fact he lost the first leg.

Probable Line-Up: Sommerl; Degen, Schär, Sauro, Park; Nenny, Die, Frei; Salah, Streller, Stocker

London