Despite their recent poor form Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti looks set to rest some of his underperforming players for their Champions League Group F clash with MSK Zilna.
With four wins from four the Blues are certain of qualification and a point tonight against their Slovakian opponents will secure top spot. Youngsters Jeffrey Bouma and Josh McEachran look set to start as Ancelotti shuffles his pack.
However, the atmosphere around Stamford Bridge is very different to the one when they last appeared in Europe and anyone looking to bet on Champions League games should remember this.
Back at the start of the month a convincing 4-1 win over Spartak Moscow mirrored the club's impressive league form, which saw them rack up a six point lead at the top of the Premier League.
But a nightmare few weeks has seen them lose three of their last four league games and see Manchester United draw level with them at the summit.
What is perhaps worse for Ancelotti is the apparent unrest in the camp caused by the controversial dismissal of Ray Wilkins.
The popular assistant boss was sacked last week by owner Roman Abramovich without Ancelotti's permission and his replacement, former opposition scout Michael Emenalo, was also promoted without the Italian's say so.
That led to rumours regarding the former Milan boss's future and suggestions he could be set to quit.
But in a cool, calm and collected pre-match press conference Ancelotti reaffirmed his commitment to the club and insisted Chelsea's recent woes were for on-field reasons. If Chelsea can pull off one of their Champions League specials, they should go some way to proving him right.
A big win against Zilna, who sit bottom of Group F without a point, will start to ease the feeling of gloom around the club ahead of a crucial run of domestic fixtures next month.
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