FC Basel v Chelsea: Where To Watch, Preview, Team Line-Ups, Latest News

UPDATE: Click here for liver updates on Basel v Chelsea in the Europa League semi final at St Jakob Park.

Chelsea take on Basel at St Jakob Park in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final, with the last English team left in European competition hoping to take a step towards May's final in Amsterdam for the final, though they have their work cut out for them against a Swiss side who knocked out Tottenham Hotspur in the last eight.

Where To Watch Live

Kick off is at 20:05 BST, with ITV1 and BBC Radio 5 live providing live coverage in the UK. You can also check out the IBTimes UK live blog coming to you straight from St Jakob Park.

Overview

Chelsea Looking For Redemption

For Chelsea, the disappointment of a group stage exit from the Champions League hasn't deterred them from a foray into the latter stages of Europe's second tier competition. Having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City, the Europa League represents Rafa Benitez's last chance to claim some silverware during his interim spell at Stamford Bridge.

Though the Europa League offers little of the prize money and prestige that the Champions League does, such is the length of the tournament, not least the varying daunting away trips across the continent, it still remains one of the most difficult competitions to win.

Sparta Prague, Steaua Bucharest and Rubin Kazan have all posed significant threats to Chelsea's European hopes, with the Blues requiring second leg heroics in both ties to progress.

In the quarter final, a stage which fellow English sides Tottenham and Newcastle United were knocked out, saw Benitez's side, possessing a 3-1 lead from the first leg in west London, lose 3-2 in Russia as the visitors showed signs of complacency.

Chelsea's away form in the tournament has been poor, having lost two of their three visits to Eastern Europe and face a Basel side who pride themselves on their home form, with an undefeated record at St Jakob Park domestically this season.

Benitez will be looking to Fernando Torres to limit the damage in Switzerland, with the striker looking to add to his four goals so far in the tournament.

Last weekend's result: Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea

Basel Hoping to Knock Out Another English Side

After failing to progress through the qualifying stages of the Champions League, Basel have asserted themselves as firm favourites in the Europa League with a succession of impressive performances

Basel, who knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League last season, will again be looking towards striker Marcos Streller and Mohamed Salah for inspiration, after the pair tore apart Tottenham in the quarter final.

Their victory over Spurs, among the favourites for the competition prior to their last eight exit will have provided a massive mental boost for the side who are currently three points clear at the top of the Swiss Super League with eight games remaining.

Last weekend's result: FC Thun 2-2 FC Basel

Team News

Ashley Cole (hamstring) is back in the mix for selection after returning to training last week having recovered from a hamstring injury picked up during the FA Cup quarter final win over Manchester United.

Gary Cahill (knee) also looks set to make a return to the squad, with question marks over whether John Terry and Frank Lampard will feature. Demba Ba is cup-tied and is ineligible while Oriol Romeu is a long-term injury victim.

Basel are without talismanic striker Alex Frei, who since the last-eight win over Tottenham, has retired to be become a club director.

Probable Line-Ups

Basel: Sommer; P. Degen, Schar, Dragovic, Joo-Ho; El Nenny, F. Frei, Serey Die; Salah, Streller, Stocker.

Chelsea: Cech; Azpilicueta, Terry, Luiz, Bertrand; Ramires, Lampard; Moses, Oscar, Benayoun; Torres.

What They Say

Rafa Benitez: "Basel is in the semi-final and deserve to be there. They've worked very hard, have played well, and are well organised. They press well and launch good counter-attacks.

"They have good players with pace and ability, so we will have to do really well if we want to win."

Murat Yakin: "Dreaming is not for me. We have shown in this campaign that we are a team with a vision that leads all the way to Amsterdam"

"So far we have looked good against the English teams, and now we're close to achieving something even bigger."

"We are delighted to be facing Chelsea, it is a huge challenge for us, a big task. We have made our entry into the semi-finals and of course now it is all about luck.

"We have come very far due to hard work and have nothing to lose. We will play with full conviction."