In the midst of her crisis, Chelsea visits Lille in search of the Champions League quarterfinals

A Chelsea that is going through a critical moment, with its assets frozen by the measures taken in the United Kingdom against Roman Abramovich due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, appears in northern France against Lille, a cast that pursues the miracle of tracing the adverse result of the first leg against the European champion (0-2) with the same faith with which he came against all odds until the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The London cast lands in this meeting at the most complicated institutional moment in its history. But with his staff very committed, to the point that the German coach Thomas Tuchel warned that if they cannot travel by plane to France due to limited expenses, he will drive a bus himself. That is the context in which the Blues will be at least until the month of May, when the sanctions of the British Government are lifted.

The good news for Chelsea is that since Abramovich announced his intention to sell the club, the team has not lost: that is four wins in four matches, including the two Premier League matches following government sanction, against Norwich City and Newcastle United.

The uncertainty surrounding Chelsea has players worried, but also focused on their goals. Germany's Kai Havertz has scored four goals in the last three games. He has become the reference striker, with great versatility in a lethal offensive, where Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic or Hakim Ziyech also stand out.

Tuchel arrives in France without major casualties, only with the already known absences of Ben Chilwell and Reece James, who have missed the last two games. If they reach the quarterfinals, the Blues will be among the top eight in Europe for the second consecutive season, something they haven't achieved for a decade. Although advancing in Europe is even more important than before, as they need the money for the club's survival.

However, Lille will not make things easy for him at a Pierre Mauroy Stadium that will be filled for the second time this season (the first was to host PSG), as 10,000 of the 48,000 seats were left free in all three matches of the European group stage. The city awaits surprise against a rival in the middle of the troubled river because of the problems that its current owner is going through.

The reigning champion of France is mired in permanent criticism and comes from a scoreless draw against a Saint-Etienne who is in relegation positions. Lille are sixth in the championship, four points behind European positions and seven points behind the Champions League zone. Their coach, Jocelyn Gourvennec, is aware that their work is under scrutiny and said that they will be “300% mobilized” to face Chelsea.

Gourvennec will have to manage to make up for the loss of his Portuguese star, Renato Sanches, injured in the hamstrings and whose position can be occupied by Swedish Grabriel Gudmundsson. The big question will be who will accompany Canadian Jonathan David in the attack: Turkish Burak Yilmaz or French veteran Hatam Ben Arfa.

Formations:

Referee: Davide Massa (ITA)

Stadium: Pierre Mauroy

TV: ESPN

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