Attack v defence as Chelsea face Sevilla in Champions League

Chelsea face Sevilla in a Champions League clash on Tuesday night. Both teams are quality sides with the hosts reaching the last 16 of the Champions League last season while the La Liga outfit won the Europa League. 

One thing Chelsea will have to improve is their leaky defence. They were 2-0 up at home to Southampton and they lost the lead twice to only get a point from the fixture. Defensive errors such as Kurt Zouma's in the second Saints goal as well as mistakes from under fire keeper Kepa in previous matches, mean the Blues cannot be trusted at the back. 

That was not the first time they had let in three goals this season. They were 3-0 down to West Brom last month and had to fight back for a 3-3 draw. Lampard's men are finding the net with ease, but they are struggling to keep clean sheets. Considering FootyStats data, the Blues have scored 13 goals in their last five Premier League matches and conceded nine. In fact, all of those matches have had at least two goals. The problem is that they have won just two of those fixtures. 

Sevilla, on the other hand, have started the season very differently. They have scored just five goals in their first four La Liga matches this season, but they have conceded just three. In other words, they do not score many goals, but they have a very solid defence. It is therefore all the more important that Chelsea do not make silly mistakes at the back as Julen Lopetegui's side are very difficult to break down. 

That said, apart from the 1-3 win at Cadiz, Sevilla have been struggling to find the back of the net this term and they were beaten 1-0 at Granada at the weekend. Luuk de Jong is the only player to have netted more than once so far this season. The first goal in this game could be very important and both sides will want to start the group well ahead of what will be, in theory, easier matches against Krasnodar and Rennes. 

The encounter at Stamford Bridge sees an attacking minded team in Chelsea against a defensive minded one in Sevilla and with the likes of Havertz, Pulisic, Munir and Rakitic in action, it is well worth a watch. Calling a winner will be very difficult though. The game kicks off at 21:00 CET.