PRE-MATCH BRIEFING: CHELSEA V FC NORDSJAELLAND
TACTICAL BRIEF
It's all about two wins tonight - for Chelsea and Shakhtar. We look at lessons learned from the previous match against Nordsjaelland in October.
Key battles
Whatever happens in the Donbass Arena between Shakhtar and Juve, Chelsea have a tricky task of beating a lively Danish team that is under no pressure and can play freely.
They like to work the ball forward swiftly and have a number of strong, technical players. Particularly impressive in Denmark was Jores Okore, but he will miss tonight's game having torn a thigh muscle. The athletic centre-back was a forceful presence for much of the game, despite falling foul of Nordsjaelland's high-risk strategy of playing the ball out from the back.
It is a policy that could again prove costly with the Stamford Bridge crowd bearing down on them.
It was Okore's pass to Enoch Adu that allowed Fernando Torres to steal the ball and feed Frank Lampard, who set up Juan Mata for Chelsea's opener. The Chelsea centre-forward had a lively game that night, without scoring - he hit the net once from an offside position and worked a couple of one-on-ones with Jesper Hansen.
On Saturday West Ham seemed alert to Chelsea's desire to feed Torres goals and mobbed him whenever the ball came near. He eluded them enough to set up Juan Mata's goal (his eighth of the season in all competitions) but was often crowded out.
Mata netted twice in Copenhagen, the second from another wonderful passing move. Yet the 4-0 scoreline does not tell the full story. Chelsea's pressing in the early stages had confined the Danes to quarters but it did not endure and the hosts rallied strongly.
With nippy Dutchman Joshua John causing problems, cutting in down the Chelsea right against Ramires and Branislav Ivanovic, several chances were created for the Nordsjaelland forwards. When they were not squandering the openings they found Petr Cech and Ashley Cole blocking their route to the net.
Rafael Benítez may be concerned that this flank was the source of many problems at the Boleyn Ground too.
Attacking midfielder Oscar started on the bench against the Hammers but is Chelsea's top scorer in this competition with four goals in five games. He failed to find the net at Parken but was at his scheming best and assisted Mata and Ramires's late strikes.
Three of the Blues' four goals in Copenhagen came in the last 12 minutes of normal time as the Danes appeared to tire. They have one more league game after this match before taking their extended winter break.
David Luiz is available after his domestic suspension, but Daniel Sturridge, John Terry and Frank Lampard, skipper in the reverse fixture, remain on the sidelines.
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