Team
news and stats ahead of Chelsea vs Krasnodar in the Champions League group
stage on Tuesday (kick-off 8pm).
Team news
Kepa Arrizabalaga will make his first Chelsea appearance since October in
Tuesday's Champions League clash with Krasnodar.
The Spaniard, who became the world's most expensive goalkeeper when he
joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao in 2018, has struggled to adapt to the
Premier League and was dropped by Frank Lampard following the arrival of
Edouard Mendy.
But Lampard said: "Kepa starts. It is about attitude and how you play, his
situation now is different with Mendy's form. Kepa is training brilliantly
well and acting brilliantly well."
Lampard is expected to further rotate his resources, with Chelsea having
already won Group E with a game to spare.
Billy Gilmour will also start, with the Scotland U21s international chasing
full fitness after knee surgery, but Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi are
out with hamstring problems.
Krasnodar could be without Yuri Gazinski (back) and Kristoffer Olsson
(hamstring).
Who needs what?
Chelsea are already through as group winners.
Krasnodar are destined to finish third and drop into the Europa League
whatever happens thanks to their superior head-to-head record against
Rennes, who sit three points behind them.
Opta stats
Chelsea's only previous meeting with FK Krasnodar came on MD2 of this
season's UEFA Champions League campaign, with Frank Lampard's side winning
4-0 away from home.
This will be just the second time FK Krasnodar have faced an English
opponent away from home in European competition, with their previous trip
ending in a 1-0 victory against Everton in the 2014-15 UEFA Europa League.
Chelsea own a 100% record against Russian opposition in the UEFA Champions
League, winning each of their five such games by an aggregate score of 13-1.
Victory for Chelsea would give them their highest ever points total in a
single Champions League group stage (16), while they would be the fourth
English team to gather such a high total after Arsenal in 2005-06 (losing
finalists), Man Utd in 2007-08 (eventual winners) and Tottenham in 2017-18
(knocked out in last 16).
FK Krasnodar picked up their first Champions League victory last time out,
beating Rennes 1-0 thanks to a Marcus Berg goal. The Russian side have won
just one of their last nine away games in major European competition,
however (D2 L6, excluding qualifiers).
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