It has not been easy to be part of Chelsea in recent weeks. You know the reasons well: the war in Ukraine, due to which the owner of the club – Roman Abramovich – became collateral damage of close ties with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Thus, all of Abramovich’s assets in Great Britain were frozen and sponsorships were terminated with Chelsea, and the club is banned from selling tickets for matches at Stamford Bridge, negotiating with players to extend contracts and buying and selling footballers.All that forced the Russian billionaire to leave the position of the first man of the board of directors of Chelsea and announce that the European champion is for sale, so it is not difficult to imagine the circumstances in which manager Thomas Tuchel and the team work. However, all this seemed to wake up a certain level of stubbornness among the Blues, who recorded only one loss since February 24 and the beginning of the war in Ukraine – they lost to Liverpool in the League Cup final after a lengthy penalty shootout and then won the next four games.Letter to the keeper: Don’t run off your goal line if you’re not going to catch the ballThe Blues are defending their title in the Champions League, and they are on the verge of the quarterfinals after the 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge against Lille. Today’s (23.00) rematch in France is not a formality, but it is difficult to expect that Les Dogues can knock out a much better London team. In the first match, the goals for Chelsea were scored by the German Kai Havertz and the American Christian Pulisic.Thomas Tuchel will not be able to count on Ben Chilwell, Calum Hudson-Odoi and Reece James in this rematch. Saul and Ross Barkley are also out of the squad. Captain Cesar Azpilicueta is returning to the team after an illness, as is his compatriot Marcos Alonso. They both missed the duel last weekend against Newcastle in the Premier League.Mozzartbet offers biggest odds on Liverpool and Chelsea gamesTuchel’s colleague Jocelyn Gourvennec has great reason to worry. Perhaps the best Les Dogues player, Renato Sanchez will miss the duel against Chelsea. The Portuguese midfielder will be out for about three weeks due to a thigh injury. Canadian Jonathan David will play in Lilles’s attack, while Turkish Burak Yilmaz will probably get a chance later in the match. In recent weeks, Hatem Ben Arfa has established himself in the first squad.A world of trouble: Chelsea ask to play their FA Cup tie behind closed doors to preserve “sporting integrity”The Blues had a good overture for today’s duel. Last weekend, they beat Newcastle 1-0, while Lille disappointed their fans, played a goalless draw against Saint-Etienne at home.Lille lost all three Champions League matches to Chelsea. In addition to the duel three weeks ago in London, Chelsea have beaten Les Dogues twice in the 2019/2020 season. Both times the score was 2-1.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUERound of 16, second legTuesday, 8 MarchBayern – Salzburg 7-1 (4-0)/Lewandowski 12 (p), 21 (p), 23, Gnabry 31, Muller 54, 83, Sane 85 – Kjaergaard 71/Liverpool – Inter 0-1 (0-0)/Lautaro 61/Wednesday, 9 MarchReal Madrid – PSG 3-1 (0-1)/Benzema 61, 76, 78 – Mbappe 39/Manchester City – Sporting 0-0Tuesday, 15 MarchAjax – Benfica 0-1 (0-0)/Nunez 77/Man.Utd. – Atl.Madrid 0-1 (0-1)/Lodi 41/Wednesday, 16 March23.00: (2.00) Juventus (3.50) Villareal (4.10)23.00: (4.10) Lille (3.50) Chelsea (2.00)***odds are subject to change
