Maccabi Tel Aviv will be taking on Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League reverse fixture at the Sammy Ofer Stadium on Tuesday, 24 November.
Jose Mourinho's men in blue will be looking forward to qualify for the knockout stages. They are currently placed in the second position in Group G. They will make it to the knockout stages if they beat Maccabi Tel Aviv and if Porto get the better of Dynamo Kiev.
Chelsea's defence has been a cause of concern for Mourinho. The Blues of the Stamford Bridge have managed to keep just one clean sheet in their last six games. Maccabi Tel Aviv will be wary of this fact and will be looking to exploit that weakness at their home ground on Tuesday.
Technically, Maccabi Tel Aviv have no chance of making it to the next round of the UEFA Champions League. It is an honour for the Israeli side that they have made it to the main stage of the European tournament after 11 years. They will be playing for nothing but pride.
"If Jose Mourinho doesn't want to be Tom Cruise, I prefer to try to be. It's complicated for him, it's complicated for me. It's a different target. We have in front of us two games and we want six points if we have the opportunity for playing next spring in the Europa League," Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Slavisa Jokanovic told reporters.
The last time these two sides locked horns, the Blues at the Stamford Bridge smashed four goals past Maccabi Tel Aviv. Willian, Oscar, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas got their names on the scoresheet.
Meanwhile, it has been a difficult phase for Chelsea in the English Premier League but things have gone in the right direction for Mourinho and his boys in the UEFA Champions League. Chelsea also registered a win over Norwich City in their last Premier League fixture. Fortunes are taking a turn for good for the Blues it seems and they would want to keep on winning to maintain the momentum.
"It's not the same to go and play in Israel as it is to go and play in Stoke or Newcastle. The feeling is obviously different. But I got from them the sense of responsibility and, of course, everybody has travelled. Nobody even tried not to go. I didn't have a single problem within the squad," Chelsea gaffer told reporters ahead of their Champions League clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Expected lineups:
Maccabi Tel Aviv: Rajkovic; Shpungin, Ben Haim, Tibi, Ben Harush; Ben Haim II, Mitrovic, Alberman; Igiebor, Rikan, Zahavi.
Chelsea: egovic; Ivanovic, Zouma, Terry, Azpilicueta; Matic, Fabregas; Pedro, Hazard, Willian; Costa.
Where to Watch Live
The Champions League game between Chelsea and Maccabi Tel Aviv is set to begin at 7.45 pm local time (1.15 am IST, 7.45 pm GMT, 3.45 pm ET). Ten Sports is the channel to watch live coverage of the UEFA Champions League match in India, while all the action can also be caught via live streaming online on Ten Sports Live.
Viewers in the UK can watch the game live on BT Sport 2, while Chelsea vs Maccabi Tel Aviv can also be live streamed on Chelsea TV, Watch BT Sport and the BT Sport App.
Viewers in Australia can watch the UEFA Champions League match live on SBS One Australia while the online live streaming option is on Bein Sports Connect.
Watch Chelsea vs Maccabi Tel Aviv live on Fox Sports USA channels in the US, while the live stream option is on FoxSoccer2Go.
Eurosport Asia will show the match live in various parts of SouthEast Asia, including Singapore, while the match can be watched via live streaming online on EuroSport Player. PPTV Sports will broadcast Chelsea vs Maccabi Tel Aviv live in China.
