Chelsea have some form of respite from their torrid Premier League campaign this Thursday, as they look to continue their unbeaten start in the Europa League, taking on Swedish champions Malmo away from home.
Malmo scraped through to the knockout rounds on the final match day with a dramatic 1-0 win against Besiktas, eventually finishing second in a competitive group.
Chelsea meanwhile coasted into the next stage of the competition, for which they will be among the favourites, winning five and drawing just one of their six games as they topped the group.
Recent form does, however, suggest a tight encounter could be on the cards, with Chelsea enduring a difficult spell in the league that was compounded by a comprehensive 6-0 rout by Manchester City on Sunday.
It is difficult to suggest how well Malmo have been playing coming into the game, with their domestic season not restarting until April. Chelsea will present somewhat of a baptism of fire to a side who haven’t played a competitive fixture since the last round of Europa League games some two months ago.
