With the memory of their worst-ever Premier League defeat still fresh in their minds after a 6-0 hiding by Manchester City, Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri will be looking for a response when they travel to Malmo in the Europa League.
The Blues’ crushing defeat has increased the pressure upon their Italian manager to produce results, and the former Napoli man will be hoping that the trip to Sweden can reignite his side’s form.
Their hosts have not played since last year, with their new domestic season not set to start until April, which could suggest there will be a rusty edge to proceedings.
But having shipped 10 goals in their last two away games, Chelsea will be desperate to avoid another defeat – and that concern could be their very undoing.
| Game | Malmo vs Chelsea |
| Date | Thursday, February 14 |
| Time | 8:00pm GMT / 3pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| UniMas | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on BT Sport 2 and will be available for streaming on the BT Sport Live app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BT Sport 2 | BT Sport Live |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Malmo squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Melicharek, Dahlin, Tannander |
| Defenders | Nielsen, Brorsson, Bengtsson, Ahmedhodzic, Andersson, Binaku, Safari, Larsson, Vindheim |
| Midfielders | Christiansen, Lewicki, Bachirou, Innocent, Adrian, Rakip, Rieks, Traustason, Nalic |
| Forwards | Antonsson, Gall, Strandberg, Rosenberg, Molins |
New signing Dusan Melicharek will likely get the nod to start in goal after being handed the No.1 shirt by the hosts.
Otherwise, Uwe Rosler has several choices to make over who he considers to be a first-choice player for the season ahead.
Confirmed Malmo starting XI: Dahlin, Vindheim, Nielsen, Bengtsson, Safari, Traustason. Christiansen, Bachirou, Rieks, Rosenberg, Antonsson.
| Position | Chelsea players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Arrizabalaga, Caballero, Cumming |
| Defenders | Azpilicueta, Zappacosta, Rudiger, Luiz, Christensen, Ampadu, Emerson |
| Midfielders | Jorginho, Kante, Barkley, Kovacic |
| Forwards | Willian, Pedro, Hazard, Giroud, Hudson-Odoi, Higuain |
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is ruled out with a back injury for Maurizio Sarri, while the Italian has also revealed that he will rest Marcos Alonso for this tie.
With a looming FA Cup clash on Monday against Manchester United too, there could be some squad rotation with fringe players handed a chance.
Most notably, Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain have been left out of the starting XI, allowing Olivier Giroud and Willian to return to the attack.
Confirmed Chelsea starting XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Luiz, Emerson; Barkley, Jorginho, Kovacic; Pedro, Giroud, Willian
