Lille v Chelsea live stream, BT Sport, Wednesday 16 March, 8pm GMT
Chelsea will be looking to put the off-field distractions to one side when they take on Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
It has been quite the week for the Blues. Last Thursday the British government announced that it had placed sanctions on Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's owner, a move which plunged the club into crisis. The Russian oligarch was accused of having "clear connections" to Vladimir Putin, and Chelsea are not currently able to bring in fresh revenue as a result.
Several potential buyers have emerged in recent days, but a sale will be complicated since Abramovich is barred from benefitting from any such deal. The situation is already extremely messy and anything other than a quick resolution could leave Chelsea in a precarious position.
Thomas Tuchel has the unenviable task of trying to get his players to focus on on-field matters. He has done an admirable job so far, with Chelsea beating Norwich and Newcastle to tighten their grip on third place in the Premier League.
They are also going strong in the Champions League. A 2-0 advantage from the first leg leaves Chelsea in a strong position going into Wednesday's return fixture.
Lille have picked up of late in Ligue 1. They are on a five-match unbeaten run and have not so much as conceded a goal in that time, rising up to fifth place in the process. Still, they are massive underdogs against the European champions.
Chelsea will again have to make do without Reece James, Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi for the trip to France. Cesar Azpilicueta is available again after illness, while Thiago Silva looks set to return to the starting XI.
Lille will be unable to call upon the services of Renato Sanches - a major blow given how influential the midfielder is for his side. Benjamin Andre is expected to be available from the start.
Kick-off is at 8pm GMT and the game is being shown live on BT Sport 2 in the UK.
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