Having finished second in our group behind Juventus, we now face an away play-off match against reigning Belgian champions Genk in order to join the last-16. Kick-off is 3pm UK time and you can tune in across our digital platforms - including website, app and YouTube - with the build-up starting at 2.15pm.

Genk have progressed through the Domestic Champions pathway, where 32 teams were drawn into two rounds of two-legged home-and-away ties. They beat Koln 7-3 on aggregate and then MTK Budapest 3-1.

Andy Myers's side won three games in the group stage (twice against Malmo and once against Zenit St Petersburg), drew one (away at Zenit) and lost twice (both against Juventus), which left us trailing the Turin team by six points. With our last group-stage game in the competition coming back in December, we caught up with head coach Myers to reflect on the campaign so far, as well as our upcoming opponents.

Squad harmony

‘We didn't have the easiest ride in the early stages of the competition as we faced some really good teams,' began Myers.

'However, the boys deserve a lot of credit as they were able to show their skill and maturity to navigate through tough situations. There was a good show of character, hunger and desire, which was really impressive.’

Both losses in the group stage came against an impressive Juventus side but Myers will not be taking anything for granted in our latest assignment on the continent.

‘Looking back at some of the games they have played, they have major threats up front that could potentially cause us problems so there will obviously be respect there,' he continued.

'Likewise, we anticipate their respect for us. It's very important that we show our ability and trust in our own game as that is what will help us get over the line.’

Tactics and creative freedom

Myers also touched on the importance of getting the right balance between the tactics that are given to the players and the creative freedom they have.

‘The balance must be there,' he claimed. 'The players have been brought up with a flexibility so we always aim to set them up in a way that tactically helps them retrieve the ball.’

Selecting a team

A number of players throughout the Academy have been used in this year’s competition as Myers has a huge squad to select from, so he gave us an insight into the selection process of the line-up from him and his coaching staff.

‘You always have an idea of who will start based on performance in games and in training but also what is very important is the opponent,' he added.

'Sometimes you will need to maybe cater your team to the opponents.'

'We have looked at possible match-ups across the whole pitch and when picking a team we want to get the balance right in that department.’

‘However, I would never just pick a team on solely what the opponent offers. I think if you think too much about that then you lose an edge so we will be ensuring we get the balance right.’

After winning the competition in 2015 and 2016, and finishing runners-up in 2018 and 2019, the young Blues will be looking to continue our strong record battling with Europe's elite. You can tune in live on the official Chelsea website, The 5th Stand mobile app or our YouTube channel to see how they get on.