Kevin Strootman returns for Roma against Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, but Gerson and Maxime Gonalons are surprise starters.
It kicks off at Stamford Bridge at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this match and Juventus-Sporting on the LIVEBLOG.
Kevin Strootman returns for Roma against Antonio Conte’s Chelsea, but Gerson and Maxime Gonalons are surprise starters.
It kicks off at Stamford Bridge at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), follow the build-up and action from this match and Juventus-Sporting on the LIVEBLOG.
The Giallorossi are still unbeaten in Europe this season, holding Atletico Madrid to a stalemate and winning at Qarabag, so this is a potentially crucial game for their qualification to the Round of 16.
It is also a reunion with several familiar faces, above all Antonio Rudiger, who left the Olimpico this summer to join Conte’s growing ex-Serie A contingent in London.
Italy international Davide Zappacosta is in the line-up with former Fiorentina man Marcos Alonso, but Rudiger is benched.
N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater and Victor Moses all miss out, but Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata start at the front of a 3-5-2 formation with David Luiz in midfield.
The Premier League title holders have been stuttering domestically of late, at the weekend losing to bottom of the table Crystal Palace.
Roma hope to take advantage, although they have problems of their own, fresh from Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Napoli.
Stephan El Shaarawy and Strootman return from injury, but Coach Eusebio Di Francesco is missing Kostas Manolas, Gregoire Defrel, Patrik Schick and Emerson Palmieri.
There are some surprise changes, as Gonalons comes in for Daniele De Rossi and Gerson is pushed up to a wide role in the trident along with Edin Dzeko and Diego Perotti.
This is Brazilian midfielder Gerson's first start in 305 days and then it only lasted 45 minutes against Juventus in December 2016.
Federico Fazio comes in for centre-back Manolas.
This is the third time these clubs have met, as John Terry scored the only goal at Stamford Bridge and Roma won 3-1 on home turf in the 2008-09 Champions League group stage.
Di Francesco has lost three of his meetings with Conte and never won.
Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, Christensen, Cahill; Zappacosta, Fabregas, David Luiz, Bakayoko, Alonso; Hazard, Morata
Chelsea bench: Willy, Rudiger, Pedro, Kenedy, Willian, Batshuayi, Scott
Roma: Alisson; Bruno Peres, Juan Jesus, Fazio, Kolarov; Gonalons, Strootman, Nainggolan; Gerson, Dzeko, Perotti
Roma bench: Skorupski, Pellegrini, Moreno, De Rossi, Cengiz Under, Florenzi, El Shaarawy
Ref: Skomina (SLO)
Ref: Skomina (SLO)