Champions League Match Preview : Chelsea vs Dinamo Zagreb

Chelsea have already confirmed their ticket to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League as Group winners, entertaining Zagreb at Stamford Bridge tonight will be a night of relaxation for the Blues.

However, it is not an occasion without some purpose, with some fringe players set to try and show boss Graham Potter what was missing in Saturday’s 4-1 humiliation at his former employers Brighton, his first defeat as Chelsea boss.

That result put Chelsea’s chances of becoming only the second English club to win a UCL and league double in real jeopardy. In terms of shock value, it was certainly on-par with their 1-0 UCL matchday one defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, who themselves have no choice but to emerge victorious in London for the second year running to snatch a Europa League transfer.

AC Milan must also win vs Salzburg for this to happen, otherwise the Croatian champions will leave Europe before Christmas – something they haven’t experienced in three years. But Dinamo have slumped badly in this competition since the reverse H2H (D1, L3), seemingly priming them to lose four straight UCL away matches (including qualifiers) for the first time since 2011 and miss out on third place with barely a whimper.

Falling to defeat at the weekend for the first time this season in domestic action, Dinamo’s history books only add to rife feelings that Ante Cacic's men will exit this competition meekly, with the Purgeri taking zero points on foreign soil in four of their five preceding UCL group stage appearances this century. 

However, they could also create history for the right reasons, as a win would make them the first Pot 4 team ever to take six UCL points from Chelsea!