Rafa Benitez's "joyous" time at Chelsea continues with the second leg of their Europa League tie against Steaua Bucharest. The visitors hold 1-0 lead after their first leg victory in Romania and will be looking to finish off last year's Champions League winners and provide yet another reason for the Blues fans to dislike Rafa.
Chelsea vs. Steaua Bucharest: Preview and TV schedule
Chelsea must over turn a 1-0 deficit at home today if they hope to advance in the Europa League.
Scott Heavey
Considering how well Eden Hazard and Jon Obi Mikel played for Chelsea coming off the bench and helping to spark their FA comeback against Manchester United, you'd expect both to be considered for a starting place. Defender John Terry would make a return to the lineup as Benitez tries to balance his roster during a busy stretch.
Steaua will get a boost with the return of defender Daniel Georgievski. The Macedonia international played in his first match since November, going for nearly an hour against Ceahlaul Piatra on the weekend.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: Demba Ba (ineligible), Oriol Romeu (knee).
Steaua Bucharest injuries and suspensions
In Doubt: Stefan Nikolic (knee).
Demba Ba is cup tied and not available for the match so expect Fernando Torres to start for Chelsea. Oriol Romeu is a long term injury. Steaua's only injury issue is Stefan Nikolic who is trying to return from a knee injury. He's not expected to start but he could make the bench.
Match Date/Time: 8:05 p.m. local, 4:05 p.m. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
TV: FOX Soccer (U.S.), ITV 1 (U.K.)
Online: FOX Soccer 2 Go (U.S.)
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