Old hands Chelsea face QarabaÄŸ newcomers
After a different knowledge of a deteriorate outward a UEFA Champions League, Chelsea FC will be out to make an impact on their lapse – to do so, they contingency overcome something of an different apportion in Qarabağ FK.
• The contrariety in knowledge between a dual clubs could frequency be starker. While this is Chelsea’s 15th organisation theatre debate – only once have they unsuccessful to strech a knockout rounds – QarabaÄŸ are creation their debut. The champions of Azerbaijan are not though organisation theatre experience, however, carrying featured in a UEFA Europa League correct for any of a final 3 seasons.
Match background
Chelsea
• Champions of England for a sixth time in 2016/17, Chelsea are assembly their first-ever opponents from Azerbaijan.
• European champions in 2012, Chelsea got to a turn of 16 on their final UEFA Champions League coming in 2015/16, losing to Paris Saint-Germain for a second year running.
• Chelsea were not concerned in European foe final term, for a initial time given 1996/97. They had seemed in any UEFA Champions League organisation theatre going behind to 2003/04.
• The Londoners have won their UEFA Champions League organisation on their final 3 appearances, and 11 times overall. The usually time they have unsuccessful to swell to a final 16 was 2012/13, when they became a initial holders to go out in a organisation phase; even so, they went on to win a UEFA Europa League.
• The Stamford Bridge side mislaid 2-1 to Paris in their final UEFA Champions League home game, finale a seven-match dominant run in west London (W6 D1).
QarabaÄŸ
• The Azerbaijani bar reached a organisation theatre for a initial time by violence Georgian champions FC Samtredia in a second subordinate turn (5-0 home, 1-0 away) and Moldova’s FC Sheriff (0-0 home, 2-1 away). In a play-offs, they won 1-0 during home to FC København and advanced on divided goals after a 2-1 better in Denmark.
• This is QarabaÄŸ’s fourth UEFA Champions League campaign; in any of a prior 3 they were separated in a third subordinate round. Last year they suspended F91 Dudelange 3-1 on total in a second subordinate round, though mislaid to FC Viktoria Plzeň (0-0 away, 1-1 home) in a subsequent stage.
• In 2016/17, a Baku-based organisation contested a UEFA Europa League organisation theatre – for a third uninterrupted year – after being knocked out of a UEFA Champions League. They have never left on to a turn of 32, however.
• Qarabağ competent for a UEFA Champions League after winning a Azerbaijani Premier League for a fifth time in 2016/17 – their fourth true championship.
• Qarabağ had won their final dual divided games in Europe before losing during FCK; they had won only dual of a prior 11 (D2 L7) however.
Coach and actor links
• Anton Kanibolotskiy and Willian were team-mates during FC Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13.
• MÃchel was a 72nd-minute surrogate in Birmingham City FC’s 3-0 Premier League better during Chelsea on 27 Jan 2010.
• Antonio Conte guided Italy to dual wins opposite Azerbaijan in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying: 2-1 during home and 3-1 away, a latter outcome clinching a Azzurri’s place in a finals. Gara Garayev, Badavi Hüseynov, Rashad F Sadygov and Rahid Amirguliyev played in a initial diversion in Palermo, with Elvin Yunuszadä and Agabala Ramazanov new replacements; Hüseynov was sent off in a Baku return, with Garayev, Sadygov, Amirguliyev, Maksim Medvedev, Arif Dashdemirov and Afran Ismayilov also in a starting line-up.