Chelsea coast past Dymano Kiev to put one foot in Europa League quarter-finals
Relive the action from Stamford Bridge
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Chelsea put one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev at Stamford Bridge.
Goals by Pedro, Willian and Callum Hudson-Odoi handed Chelsea a significant advantage heading into next week's second leg in Ukraine.
And on a night when Arsenal slipped to a shock Europa League defeat, Chelsea asserted themselves as one of the favourites to win this summer’s final in Baku with a stylish victory. Relive the action below.
What time does it start?
Chelsea vs. Dynamo Kiev kicks off at 8pm (GMT) on Thursday 8 March.
Where can I watch it?
The match will be live on BT Sport 2, with coverage starting at 7:30pm (GMT).
Predicted line-ups:
Chelsea: Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, David Luiz, Emerson, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Willian, Giroud, Hazard
Dynamo Kiev: Boyko, Kravchenko, Burda, Shabanov, Mykolenko, Shepelev, Buyalski, Tsygankov, Shapanenko, Victor Bueno, Sol
Form guide:
Chelsea: WLWLWW
Dynamo Kiev: WLDWWW
Head-to-head:
Thursday’s meeting between Napoli and Red Bull Salzburg will be the first time the two sides have met.
Odds:
Chelsea to win: 3/10
Dynamo Kiev to win: 17/4
Draw: 9/1
Prediction:
Chelsea 2-0 Dynamo Kiev
Hello! It's a busy night in the Europa League with all 16 teams in action. Chelsea take on Dynamo Kiev later this evening at Stamford Bridge (8pm KO), but first up is Arsenal's trip to Rennes, as the Gunners chase the first European trophy since 1994. Michael will be along shortly with all the team news and build-up. In the meantime, here's the latest from the Arsenal camp:
Arsenal's team this evening:
Arsenal: Cech; Mustafi, Sokratis, Koscielny, Monreal; Xhaka, Torreira; Mkhitaryan, Ozil, Iwobi; Aubameyang.
Rennes team for tonight:
Rennes: Koubek, Zeffane, Da Silva, Sitoe, Bensebaini, Sarr, André, Grenier, Bourigeaud, Hunou, Ben Arfa.
Rennes vs Arsenal
Arsenal bring good fortune with them as they look to take a step closer to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
They have never lost an away game against French opposition with eight wins and five draws in 13 games.
Rennes will be the 10th different French team Arsenal have faced in all European competition, with the Gunners defeating all nine French sides they've previously met.
Rennes will be hosting an English side for only the second time in their history, their first was against Aston Villa in July 2001. A match they won 2-1.
Rennes vs Arsenal
Team news
Here's a better look look at both teams for tonight's 17:55 ko.
Unai Emery names a pretty solid Arsenal team despite a huge match against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.
The star of his team? Sokratis perhaps.
Unai Emery on Rennes biggest threat Hatem Ben Arfa:
"He is a very good player, he is playing with a big performance and we know they have good organisation, good players and one is Ben Arfa.
"We need to control his quality, his skills, because in the two matches they played against Betis he was playing very well. It is not only Ben Arfa, they have good defensive players, but mostly Ben Arfa is very important for them."
With two massive nights in the Champions League just gone, what does European football have in store for us today?
If you didn't know, were you hiding under a rock or something? VAR played a pivotal role in Manchester United's progression to the quarter-finals last night and as always controversy is never far away when VAR gets the call:
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