Chelsea vs FC Basel: 5 Key Battles

Chelsea will look to get their Champions League campaign underway with a win against Swiss side FC Basel. The current Europa League champions, who crashed out of the Champions League in the first round last season due to dropping points at home, will no doubt want to avoid making such a sloppy start again and will try getting all three points against Basel in an ideal start.

Chelsea have a fully fit squad to choose from and Jose Mourinho has confirmed that four players under the age of 22 will be starting the match. He also stated that both Frank Lampard and Oscar will definitely be in the starting XI. Basel, however, will be missing midfielders Serey Die and Mohamed Elneny due to injuries. Nevertheless, the match should be an interesting one. Here are 5 battles that will play a role in influencing the result of the game:

Oscar dos Santos vs Fabian Frei

Oscar of Chelsea

The young Brazilian has started the season well for Chelsea and looks a lot more confident than he did at times last season. He scored 5 goals in 6 games in the Champions League, so will no doubt be a threat. The job of keeping him in check will fall to Swiss midfielder Fabian Frei, who plays as the sole defensive midfielder in Basel’s 4-1-4-1 formation. Given Oscar’s ability to influence matches, this will be a key duel during the game.

Mohamed Salah vs Ashley Cole

Mohamed Salah of Basel (R)

The young Egyptian winger caused Chelsea many problems during last season’s Europa League encounter between the two sides and will no doubt look to exert his influence down the right wing again. The task of marking the youngster will fall to veteran left-back Ashley Cole, who hasn’t been in the best of form this season bar a decent shift against Bayern in the Super Cup. Salah is a game-changer in his own right, meaning that Cole has his work cut out for him.

Valentin Stocker vs Branislav Ivanovic

Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea

Basel’s system sees them use the wide spaces a lot, making left winger Valentin Stocker a key player for the Swiss side. The job of ensuring that he doesn’t wreak too much havoc down the wings will fall to right back Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbian is a solid defender but his tendency to make the occasional mistake every now and then means Stocker will look to go at him all guns blazing. This particular duel should be an interesting one given how much emphasis Basel place on their wing-play.

Eden Hazard vs Philipp Degen

Philipp Degen of Basel

Eden Hazard has had a subdued start to the season, but he is the type of player who can change games in an instant. Philipp Degen will be expected to keep the young Belgian in check. Given how Hazard terrorised even the best of right-backs last season, Degen could be in for a very long night should Hazard find his stride. The veteran Swiss defender will have to put in a lot of effort to ensure Hazard doesn’t influence the game. It isn’t, however, an impossible task.

Marco Streller vs Gary Cahill/John Terry

Gary Cahill of Chelsea

The six-foot-five-inch striker has been Basel’s biggest goal-threat so far this season, scoring 4 goals in 5 appearances. He is a physical presence up front and will have to be marked by either John Terry or Gary Cahill (whichever of the two players start). It’s safe to say that if he is kept quite for most of the game, Basel will find it slightly tougher to find the back of the net. However, keeping the big man in check is easier said than done.