Roma vs Chelsea. UEFA Champions League Group C.
OlimpicoAttendance55,036.
Tuesday 31 October 2017 18:43, UK
Chelsea can take control of Champions League Group C with victory at Roma on Tuesday night.
The two sides played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago, with first-place Chelsea currently two points clear of Roma in second.
Antonio Conte could recall N'Golo Kante for the crunch clash after he took part in training on Monday, having been absent since suffering a hamstring injury on France duty in early October.
The Chelsea boss said: "Our group is a tough group, Roma and Atletico Madrid are two really strong teams and to stay at the top is very important.
"Last week we went through to the next round of the Carabao Cup, then we won the last two games in the Premier League. For sure tomorrow it will be a really tough game.
"We must pay close attention because Roma are in good form.
"It is important for us to overcome this difficult period because we are getting important players back and you know how important it is for me to have all the players available."
Conte plans to speak to Kante before making a final decision on whether he features on Tuesday, with a Nissan Super Sunday clash against Manchester United on the horizon.
Danny Drinkwater is also in contention to face Roma but Victor Moses (hamstring) will miss out as he continues his recovery.
Chelsea have endured a five-game winless streak on the road against Italian clubs in the Champions League (D1 L4); the Blues conceding at least two goals on each of those occasions.
The reverse encounter was the first time that a team managed by Antonio Conte had conceded three goals in a Champions League game.
Chelsea have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League 13 times in their previous 14 appearances.
Eden Hazard has created more goalscoring chances than anybody else this season in the Champions League (13).
Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas is set to make his 100th Champions League appearance in this match.
I thought Chelsea were a bit fortunate to get a draw in the reverse fixture and I do feel there is some awkwardness in this Chelsea team at the moment.
The defence is the real concern and Antonio Conte is not happy with them, while I don't know what has happened to Alvaro Morata. He doesn't look fit and I don't know whether he's concerned his hamstring won't let him sprint.
Chelsea did get a great result at Atletico Madrid and are a better counter-attacking side than at dominating games, so I can't split them again.
Charlie predicts: 1-1 and Willian to score first (60/1 with Sky Bet)
The Blues are odds-on to win Group C followed by Roma at 7/2, although Conte's men have actually drifted out to 18/1 in the outright betting due to their domestic form.
Edin Dzeko and Morata share favouritism in the first goalscorer betting at 7/2 apiece, while the strike duo are the same price both to find the net in Sky Bet's Price Boosts.
