Europa League favourites Chelsea are back in action as they host an Ukrainian Dynamo Kiev side who will look to pull off an upset in the 1st leg at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have had quite a comfortable ride so far in the competition winning their group with 16 points and then defeating Malmo 5-1 on aggregate. Dynamo Kiev is definitely going to be the toughest opponent on paper that they’ve faced so far in the competition.
Dynamo Kiev haven’t been quite as dominant but have also had a successful campaign winning their own group over Rennes then eliminating Olympiakos in the R16 stage which was quite impressive. Kiev are definitely no pushover and should be taken seriously by Chelsea. Kiev are yet to lose an away UEL game this season.
Chelsea have hit some good form lately. Since their bad loss to Man Utd in the FA Cup couple weeks ago they bounced back with 3 wins against Malmo, Tottenham and Fulham while also taking Man City to penalties in a Cup Final. It seems like Chelsea have hit form at the right time and will be aiming to finish the season strong.
Dynamo Kiev themselves aren’t playing too bad. They have returned from winter break playing good football winning back to back games domestically while also beating Olympiakos over 2 legs in the Europa League. Fitness shouldn’t be a problem for Kiev at this point and they should be coming to the tie with good spirits and confidence.
Chelsea have been a nearly unbeatable side at home all season losing just 2 of their 25 total games at Stamford Bridge this season. Their home season has pretty much kept their season afloat in 2019 plus they’ve got a 100% win record in Europa League at home scoring 11 goals in 4 home UEL games.
Kiev are an up and down away side, sometimes play well sometimes terribly but as mentioned they are still undefeated in Europa League away from home with 2W 2D with their most impressive win coming away at Rennes 1-2 who are not Chelsea’s level but a pretty tough French side to beat which Kiev did.
Players to watch for Chelsea are going to be Giroud and Willian. Both have been playing good football in Europe with Giroud being clubs top scorer in the competition while Willian has the most contributions with 7 (2G 5A). Callum Hudson-Odoi if he plays could be another massive danger man as the youngster has had some exceptional performances in the competition too when given time including scoring against Malmo and PAOK.
Dynamo Kiev has a massive blow with the main attacker Verbic out therefore the key players for them will have to be whole backline and goalkeeper. Kiev are likely going to concede a lot of the possession and will probably “park the bus”. The defence will have to step up big time for them thus making the whole defence key for Kiev to get a result.
Chelsea and Dynamo Kiev last met in Europe in the 2015-16 Champions League campaign where Chelsea picked up a 0-0 draw in Ukraine and then defeated them 2-1 at Stamford Bridge thanks to a sensational free kick by Willian late in the game. Kiev cause the English giants problems in both of those games and could definitely do so again if Chelsea are not careful.
Chelsea are clear bookies favourites to win this game in 90 mins at 1.28 while Kiev are the ultimate underdog at 12.50 with Draw offered at 5.60. Chelsea are also obvious favourites to advance at 1.22 while Kiev are tipped at 4.40 to advance to the next round. Dynamo Kiev will likely need to get an away goal to have any chance of advancing in the 2nd leg. Odds based on TonyBet.
Team News
Chelsea: Chelsea don’t have any serious concerns injury wise as everyone are available. Sarri will likely rotate the squad but expect a pretty strong team out regardless even if the likes of Hazard, Kante and Higuain don’t start.
Dynamo Kiev: As mentioned, Benjamin Verbic is out with a suspension which is a massive blow for Kiev. Otherwise there doesn’t seem to be any serious injury/suspension concerns for the away side.
Betting Stats (UEL Based)
Chelsea have covered 50% of their total goal overs at home in UEL this season (2-1-1).
Chelsea have covered 50% of their 1st half total goal overs at home in UEL this season (2-2).
Chelsea average 0.75 bookings per game at home in UEL this season (3 bookings in 4 games).
Giroud and Loftus-Cheek are Chelsea’s top scorers at home in UEL this season with 3 home European goals each. Hudson-Odoi has 2.
Chelsea have covered 50% of their Handicaps at home this season (2-2).
Chelsea have covered 50% of their 1st half Handicaps at home this season (2-2)
Dynamo Kiev have covered 75% of their total goal overs away from home in UEL this season (3-1).
Dynamo Kiev have covered 100% of their 1st half total goal overs away from home in UEL this season (4-0).
Dynamo Kiev average 3.5 bookings per game away from home in UEL this season (14 bookings in 4 games).
Benjamin Verbic and Vitaliy Buyalskyy are Dynamo Kiev’s top scorers away from home in UEL this season with 2 away European goals each. With Verbic out, that makes Buyalskyy the lone available top scorer on European travels for Kiev.
Dynamo Kiev have covered 75% of their Handicaps away from home in UEL this season (3-1-0).
Dynamo Kiev have covered 50% of their 1st half Handicaps away from home in UEL this season (2-1-1).
KICK OFF – 7th March 2019 – 8pm UK Time
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