Chelsea will face FC Basel in the fifth round f the Champions League group stage, and will do so with a chance to secure advancement to the knockout round. A point from this fixture assures that the Blues will be playing Champions League football in February, while winning in Switzerland assures that the Blues finish atop the group.
While Chelsea control their own fate tomorrow, the other game in the group could make a relatively straightforward task a moot point. Any outcome that sees Schalke take the same points as Chelsea or fewer will see the Blues advance to the knockout stage, and a Chelsea draw combined with the German side dropping points would assure the Blues end up atop the group. The situation seems to be ideal for Chelsea to assure that their final group stage game means absolutely nothing, so I'd expect to see a focused Chelsea squad tomorrow looking to assure just that.
Here's the relevant information you need to know in advance of tomorrow's contest:
Date/Time: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 19:45 GMT (2:45 pm EST, 11:45 am PST), Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 01:15 IST.
Opponent: FC Basel, currently 3rd place in the group on 5 points from 4 games. Basel defeated Chelsea in the September matchup by a 2-1 score at Stamford bridge, Chelsea won in both of the 2012 Europa League matches between the clubs. They had not met prior to the Europa League semifinal last season.
Venue/Location: St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland
Forecast: Temperatures tomorrow in Basel will be hovering around the freezing mark during the day, and will likely drop below the freezing point during the evening. No precipitation is expected, but pack dress warm if you're going to attend.
Chelsea FC Squad News: Chelsea will be missing a pair of players, as neither David Luiz of Marco van Ginkel are fit enough to travel with the squad. Fernando Torres and Ashley Cole both ended up making the trip, although it's unclear if either of the pair will be fit enough to start on Tuesday.
FC Basel Squad News: Basel look to be without the services of a pair of players for tomorrow's tie. Marcelo Diaz is dealing with a knee injury, while Behrang Safari is out with a thigh issue. Both Diaz and Safari started and played the full 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge.
Television/Streaming: In the UK, Sky Sports 2 has the game and it will be streamed on Sky Go. In the US, you'll be able to catch the game on Fox Sports 1 while streaming it on Fox Soccer 2 Go. Indian viewers will have Ten Sports Live and Ten HD, while Chelsea TV will have their usual audio stream available for subscribers. Fans from other parts of the globe should check their listings here.