On Thursday night, Chelsea host Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge in the last 16 of the Europa League, with the Blues confident of progression to the next stage.
Chelsea have struggled for consistency of late and successive league wins over London rivals Tottenham and Fulham have done little to take the pressure off head coach Maurizio Sarri.
However, the Blues results in the Europa League have been strong this season, as they have won seven of their last eight matches in the competition while remaining unbeaten.
Sarri’s side recorded a comfortable 5-1 aggregate win over Swedish team Malmo in the last round. The Premier League outfit may find Thursday night’s opponents slightly more challenging.
Chelsea have won their last seven home matches in this competition dating back to their last stint in the competition back in 2013. The Blues have also scored at least two goals in six of their last seven matches in the Europa League.
Dynamo Kiev heads into this clash on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions, having also won their last three outings. The Ukrainian team recorded a 3-2 aggregate win over Greek side Olympiakos in the round of 32.
Dynamo have a good recent record in the Europa League, losing just one of their last eight matches in the competition, while also winning four of their last six games. Their recent European games have been relatively low scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last four outings.
Kiev also heads to the English capital on the back of a six-match unbeaten run on their travels in the Europa League, having recorded two wins and four draws. The visitors have been prolific of late away from home in this competition, scoring at least twice in four of their last five matches.
Forebet predicts that Chelsea will end Dynamo Kiev’s recent unbeaten run by recording a narrow win in a high scoring encounter.