RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea FC LIVE! Havertz goal - Champions League result, match stream and latest updates today

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea LIVE!

Chelsea are into the last 16 of the Champions League but it was far from smooth sailing in Austria on Tuesday night. The Blues dominated the first half at Red Bull Arena, going ahead after Mateo Kovacic’s superb first-time instinctive strike to break Salzburg’s early resistance in the 23rd minute, with only a succession of quality saves from home goalkeeper Philipp Kohn preventing Graham Potter’s men from being out of sight at the interval.

But Salzburg were much improved after half-time, more than playing their part in a barnstorming second period that saw chances galore at both ends and Chelsea have to work incredibly hard for victory as Kai Havertz’s fantastic strike sealed three points after Junior Adamu had earlier finished off an incisive counter-attack.

Now Chelsea must await the result from Zagreb, where they will be confirmed as Group E winners with a game to spare if Dinamo do not beat AC Milan. Follow all the reaction from Salzburg live below, with Nizaar Kinsella in Austria providing expert analysis.

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea highlights

• GOAL! Havertz belter restores Chelsea lead

• GOAL! Adamu finishes off incisive Salzburg break

• GOAL! Superb Kovacic strike puts Blues ahead

FC Salzburg 1 - 2 Chelsea FC

Chelsea player ratings

21:43 , George Flood

Kepa Arrizabalaga - 7

Making his ninth start in a row, Kepa had only conceded two goals since cementing himself as Potter’s no1.

There wasn’t much he could have done about Adamu’s finish. He comfortably saved the rest of his shots, getting most tested by wonderkid Benjamin Sesko in the second half.

Trevoh Chalobah - 6

Chalobah won a dangerous 50/50 duel from a corner against Bernardo in the ninth minute. Produced another good defensive clearance from a corner midway through the second half.

Thiago Silva - 5

He gave the ball away in the 39th minute which led to a Maurits Kjaergaard chance. He was too slow to get back in for Adamu’s goal, showing his weakness.

A rare below-par showing for the 38-year-old. He did brilliantly to clear off his own goal line after Kepa was flattened by the giant Strahinja Pavlovic.

Click here to read Nizaar Kinsella’s Chelsea ratings in full

Havertz issues timely riposte to Chelsea criticism

21:17 , George Flood

Kai Havertz was increasingly seeing fans get on his back after a run of poor displays but he responded in the best possible way against RB Salzburg, writes Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena.

A perfect touch, turn and left-footed shot saw the ball fly beyond an in-form Philipp Kohn to crash against the crossbar before nestling into his net in the second half.

The 23-year-old looked every bit the £70million player Chelsea expect him to be at that moment, helping his side to win away to a team who were unbeaten in 40 consecutive home matches.

However, Graham Potter hasn’t utilised his Germany international as an automatic starter since joining the club and his few appearances since his arrival had been disappointing.

Despite scoring at home to Wolves a few weeks ago, he was subsequently hauled off at half-time in a poor display away at Aston Villa.

Click here to read Nizaar’s full analysis from Salzburg

Potter offers Kovacic update after injury scare

21:10 , George Flood

Graham Potter has offered an update on Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic’s fitness after Tuesday’s Champions League clash against RB Salzburg.

The Croatian international was one of four players to come into the team in Austria following the last-gasp draw with Manchester United at the weekend, playing just 75 miles away from where he grew up in Linz.

And Kovacic was one of the best players on the pitch in an initially dominant and later breathless and hard-fought 2-1 victory for Chelsea that sealed their place in the last 16 with a game to spare, and potentially top spot in Group E depending on the Dinamo Zagreb vs AC Milan result later on, giving Potter’s side the lead with a brilliant, instinctive first-time strike with his left boot after 23 minutes.

The 28-year-old continued to impress for the Blues as they hit back after Junior Adamu’s equaliser to win through another Kai Havertz screamer, though was replaced by Ruben Loftus-Cheek just over 20 minutes from time as concerned onlookers speculated over a potential knee issue.

Click here to read the full story

Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena

19:43 , George Flood

Chelsea impressively end Salzburg’s 40-game home unbeaten run to qualify for the last 16.

Sensational strikes by both Kai Havertz and Mateo Kovacic are the difference.

A really good game and Graham Potter will be pleased with what he saw.

Full-time

19:39 , George Flood

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:39 , George Flood

95 mins: Ticking down towards the end of stoppage time, with Chelsea looking likely to hold on.

Wrecking ball defender Pavlovic has been sent up top by Salzburg.

19:35 , George Flood

92 mins: Kepa booked for two shoves on Simic after the Spaniard took exception to two Salzburg players sandwiching Chalobah in the air.

19:34 , George Flood

90 mins: SIX minutes of added time for Chelsea to see out here to confirm their place in the last 16.

Mount and Ziyech replace Sterling and Gallagher.

19:32 , George Flood

89 mins: Massive pressure from Salzburg as we move towards stoppage time, with Chalobah key to repelling their constant advances.

I wonder if a certain Gareth Southgate is watching...

19:32 , George Flood

87 mins: Salzburg are still pushing hard for a late equaliser, with Sesko doing brilliantly to tee up a firm drive that is well saved by Kepa, who then doesn’t get near a corner and watches in relief as an effort is blasted into the stands.

19:30 , George Flood

84 mins: Thankfully Silva is back on his feet and able to resume play.

The red mist briefly descends for Havertz, while Gallagher is into the book for a poor challenge.

19:26 , George Flood

82 mins: Silva is down in some discomfort here after an aerial challenge with Simic is followed by a nasty-looking fall.

Hopefully he’s okay.

Salzburg, by the way, have swapped Adamu for Kameri.

19:23 , George Flood

79 mins: A dangerous Salzburg set-piece is cleared as Chelsea look to protect this lead that would secure their progress through to the last 16.

Adamu is very unlucky to be penalised for a challenge on Loftus-Cheek and looks to have hurt himself in the process.

19:20 , George Flood

77 mins: A double change from Salzburg now.

Okafor and Wober are replaced by Simic and Ulmer.

19:19 , George Flood

75 mins: Aubameyang and Pulisic are replaced by Broja and Azpilicueta.

Looks like Potter has gone to almost a 4-4-2 now, with Sterling on the left and Gallagher right.

Havertz occupying the space in and around lead striker Broja.

19:17 , George Flood

73 mins: Azpilicueta and Broja are about to enter the fray for Chelsea.

A complete misfire from Pulisic after Sterling’s assist, with Gallagher then seeing a piledriver well blocked.

Watch: Havertz screamer restores Chelsea lead

19:15 , George Flood

19:14 , George Flood

70 mins: Kepa now back on his feet and does well to punch clear another Salzburg corner at his near post.

Salzburg applying plenty of pressure now in search of another equaliser.

20 minutes to go. What a game this has turned into...

19:13 , George Flood

69 mins: Chalobah and Silva are keeping Salzburg at bay here, with the experienced Brazilian having the presence of mind to retreat and clear Pavlovic’s goal-bound header after an amazing leap from the Serbian defender.

There was no foul on Kepa, but the Spaniard is down after that collision.

19:11 , George Flood

67 mins: Salzburg are far from finished here as Okafor fires a volley on target and Kepa gets down to deny substitute Sesko.

Yet more brave goalkeeping from Kohn also thwarted Pulisic at the other end.

A worry for Chelsea here as Kovacic appears to have picked up a knock and goes off.

Loftus-Cheek on.

GOAL! RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea | Kai Havertz 64'

19:06 , George Flood

64 mins: Another tremendous Chelsea finish and they are back in front!

It’s determined work from Pulisic, who turns and draws the attention of three defenders before passing inside to Havertz, who lets fly with a gorgeous curved strike that flies into the back of the net with Kohn rooted to the spot.

Brilliant, brilliant goal. His first away from home in the Champions League.

19:05 , George Flood

61 mins: The dangerous Sesko is coming on now for Salzburg, with Sucic withdrawn.

An attacking change from Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle with his team under the cosh.

19:02 , George Flood

58 mins: Chelsea are still pushing forward with numbers but Havertz can’t get the necessary power on a strike inside the box and it’s comfortable enough for the impressive Kohn.

19:00 , George Flood

55 mins: Off the line from Adamu!

The Salzburg goalscorer proves his worth inside his own box as he stops Jorginho’s header from a corner going in.

Chelsea are banging down the door now trying to restore their lead.

You can’t take your eye off this second half for a moment.

Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena

18:59 , George Flood

Chelsea are punished for their lack of full-back or wing-back options on the goal when Wober crossed for Adamu.

Any of the back three or wide players could be blamed as RB Salzburg killed Chelsea against the run of play through a rapid transition.

18:57 , George Flood

51 mins: This is a brilliant game now, end-to-end stuff!

Sucic is denied before Chelsea pour forward and a combination of a great Dedic challenge and more brave Kohn goalkeeping thwarts Aubameyang at the last.

Jorginho then almost puts Chelsea back in front, but the ball didn’t cross the line!

Truly breathless stuff in Salzburg.

GOAL! RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea | Junior Adamu 48'

18:51 , George Flood

48 mins: Game on!

Salzburg quickly get over the disappointment of that denied penalty shout as they hit Chelsea with a devastating break.

It’s a sublime cross from the left from Wober, with Adamu then cushioning a volley beyond Kepa and into the bottom corner.

Chelsea could be four or five in front, but now it’s all square.

18:51 , George Flood

47 mins: Early second-half drama as Salzburg scream for a penalty after a bouncing ball strikes the hand of Kovacic, who knew very little about it.

Swiss referee Sandro Schärer waves away their shouts and VAR concurs. One player in the book for protesting.

Second half underway

18:48 , George Flood

Back off and running at the Red Bull Arena, with no changes from either side as yet.

As it stands, Chelsea will be going through to the last 16.

They will win the group if they beat Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb don’t defeat AC Milan later on.

The Blues have been dominant, but plenty of work still to do here.

18:44 , George Flood

A half-time stat attack courtesy of Opta Sports.

What a first half from Kovacic...

Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena

18:39 , George Flood

Chelsea played some pretty fluid one-touch football towards the end of the half which could be the blueprint for what Graham Potter is after.

It follows a run of matches where the Blues haven’t been creative in the final third and Salzburg could have been put to bed had Aubameyang had his shooting boots on.

Half-time

18:34 , George Flood

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:34 , George Flood

47 mins: The half-time whistle sounds after yet another brilliant Kohn save, this time low to his right with one hand to repel a fierce Aubameyang effort.

Dominant Chelsea would be out of sight here if it wasn’t for the Salzburg goalkeeper.

18:33 , George Flood

45 mins: Another big Chelsea chance!

More tremendous football as Sterling cuts in off the left and finds Aubameyang, who returns the ball with a lovely flick.

Sterling feeds the ball inside, with an offside Havertz leaving it before Kohn makes another brave stop.

18:31 , George Flood

44 mins: Chelsea struggled a bit with Salzburg’s press early on but now they are bypassing it quite easily with some sumptuous one and two-touch football.

Pavlovic earns the first yellow card of the evening for a crude body check on Gallagher.

He will be suspended for the final Group E match in Milan next week.

18:29 , George Flood

42 mins: Possession changing hands quite frequently now as half-time approaches, but Chelsea are still firmly in control.

How Potter would love a second goal before the interval to show for his side’s dominance.

18:28 , George Flood

18:26 , George Flood

38 mins: A little warning for Chelsea there not to get too overconfident as Kjærgaard gets away from Chalobah and rather slices a left-footed attempt beyond Kepa’s near post.

18:23 , George Flood

35 mins: Dominant Chelsea are creating plenty now and Havertz boots the post in frustration after his close-range header lacks power and is scooped away by Kohn.

That should have been 2-0!

71 per cent possession for the Blues, who are playing some excellent stuff. Potter will want his side to put this game away while they are firmly on top.

Great defending from Chalobah at the other end to shield the ball out and keep a frustrated Okafor at bay.

18:21 , George Flood

33 mins: Chelsea are brimming with confidence and playing some eye-catching and speedy one-touch football with the lead.

However, Salzburg break effectively and a decent Kjærgaard run opens up the space for Sucic, whose effort is saved comfortably by Kepa.

18:19 , George Flood

31 mins: Excellent, incisive play from Chelsea carves open Salzburg, though Aubameyang crucially hesitates and he’s denied one-on-one by Kohn.

The home ‘keeper has made three important saves in this first half to deny Auba twice and also Havertz in the opening seconds.

18:15 , George Flood

28 mins: Chalobah needs to be careful there after a little pull inside the box that goes unpunished.

Salzburg trying to mount a response to that setback as we tick towards the half-hour mark.

Watch: Mateo Kovacic fires Chelsea in front

18:14 , George Flood

18:14 , George Flood

26 mins: Chelsea have got the bit between their teeth now after that breakthrough and are playing some decent football in search of a quick second goal.

They force a corner and it’s a vital save from Kohn low to his right after Aubameyang’s close-range header takes a deflection off marker Wober.

GOAL! RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea | Mateo Kovacic 23'

18:09 , George Flood

23 mins: Out of nowhere, the Blues are in front!

A cracking, improvised first-time strike from Kovacic with his left foot after Havertz is dispossessed inside the box.

Good work from both Pulisic and Gallagher there.

Kohn left with no chance at all as he watched the ball fly into the top corner. What a finish!

18:08 , George Flood

22 mins: Salzburg showing plenty of defensive nous and flexibility here, knowing when to press hard and high and when to drop off and put 11 men behind the ball in their tight 4-2-3-1 system.

Chelsea are dominating the ball at the moment, but they are finding it very difficult to find a path through a wall of grey shirts.

18:06 , George Flood

20 mins: You’ve got to think there will be plenty of space in behind for Chelsea to exploit if they can just play around this relentless Salzburg press at speed.

Jorginho trying to move the ball quicker to that effect.

So impressed by the hosts’ discipline thus far. Can they sustain such intensity across the 90 minutes?

Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena

18:04 , George Flood

Jorginho has been pretty crucial for Chelsea so far.

He has made two big interceptions to cut out dangerous Salzburg transitions.

18:02 , George Flood

15 mins: Again, that hugely energetic Salzburg press is causing real problems and Chelsea have to get to grips with it.

Sucic leads an incisive move and ends up blasting beyond Chalobah and over Kepa’s crossbar.

Great intensity from the hosts early on here, as Potter expected.

18:01 , George Flood

14 mins: An Adamu cross sails too far as Salzburg pour forward once more.

Chelsea regain their foothold but are yet to create any chances of note.

17:58 , George Flood

12 mins: This is lively stuff at Red Bull Arena, with Salzburg continuing to press high to good effect and Cucurella looking a little bit uncertain in that back three once again.

Thankfully for Chelsea, Thiago Silva is solid beside him.

Pulisic and Sterling frequently swapping flanks early on, as expected.

17:57 , George Flood

10 mins: Kepa has been excellent recently during his unexpected Chelsea renaissance, but a poor kick to the flanks there nearly puts the visitors in all sorts of bother.

Luckily for him, Okafor’s squared pass does not find its intended target inside the box and the Blues can clear.

17:55 , George Flood

9 mins: Salzburg’s first attack after an effective high press sees Dedic’s cross from the right deflected behind by Sterling, with Chalobah then getting a vital touch to the corner ahead of Bernardo.

Kepa then confidently claims to snuff out any remaining danger.

17:54 , George Flood

7 mins: It is indeed Pulisic and Sterling doing most of the early running here, cutting in off their respective wings and providing plenty of burst and energy for Chelsea in the opening exchanges.

A foul from Pulisic halts their latest attack, while Aubameyang’s touch needs to sharpen up a little.

17:52 , George Flood

5 mins: This has been a positive start from Chelsea, with clever play from Gallagher almost fashioning a chance for Aubameyang.

Pulisic, by the way, is lining up on the right early on here, with Sterling on the opposite flank.

I’m sure those two will spend plenty of time cutting in and perhaps swapping over when the opportunity arises.

17:50 , George Flood

3 mins: That looked serious for Kohn for a minute there but thankfully he’s now back on his feet and able to continue.

Certainly not an ideal start for Salzburg.

17:49 , George Flood

2 mins: Early drama as former Brighton defender Bernardo - whom Potter will know well - makes a complete hash of an attempted header back to goalkeeper Kohn after a long Chelsea ball forward.

Kohn takes quite a knock while bravely diving at the feet of Havertz and will require treatment.

Almost an instant way in for the visitors.

KICK-OFF

17:47 , George Flood

We are underway in Austria!

Can Chelsea book their place in the Champions League last 16?

17:45 , George Flood

A hell of a din as captains Jorginho and Wober exchange pennants and the usual pre-match pleasantries under the watchful eye of Swiss referee Sandro Schärer.

Kick-off is preceded by a round of applause in honour of late Red Bull founder and co-owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

17:42 , George Flood

Here come the teams in Salzburg, where the home fans are quite literally bouncing and creating some atmosphere.

Time for that famous anthem!

17:40 , George Flood

One interested spectator at Red Bull Arena tonight is Christoph Freund.

Chelsea strongly pursued the Austrian recently as they continue to revamp their behind-the-scenes team at Stamford Bridge under Todd Boehly and Clearlake, though he surprisingly elected to remain as Salzburg’s sporting director.

Boehly is known as a huge fan of the Red Bull system and multi-club model and is appointing former Leipzig chief Christopher Vivell as Petr Cech’s successor as technical director.

17:35 , George Flood

How Group E stands ahead of kick-off in Salzburg this evening...

17:30 , George Flood

Potter is clearly anticipating a tough test again tonight, describing Salzburg as an “intense” and “aggressive” side who defend and attack with “clarity”.

He reiterates again that Chelsea must improve going forward but stresses the need to maintain balance throughout the side.

17:27 , George Flood

Final pre-match preparations at the Red Bull Arena...

Potter on Sterling role tonight

17:14 , George Flood

Here’s Potter speaking on Sterling’s role to BT Sport ahead of kick-off...

“He will be playing wide. We need to have as dangerous a width as we can against a team that defends quite narrow.

“You need to use width against them.”

17:13 , George Flood

Chelsea have never won a competitive game in Austria, drawing with Austria Vienna in the Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1994 having previously been beaten by Weiner Sport-Club in the Fairs Cup all the way back in 1965.

It is also worth noting that Salzburg are unbeaten in their last 40 home matches across all competitions, so are likely to provide another stern test for Potter’s men tonight.

Salzburg to pay tribute to late Dietrich Mateschitz

17:09 , George Flood

Tributes will be paid tonight to Dietrich Mateschitz, the Red Bull founder and co-owner who died recently after a long illness aged 78.

The Austrian billionaire was a vital figure for RB Salzburg, who were bought by Red Bull GmbH in 2005 and had their name changed from SV Austria Salzburg.

17:02 , George Flood

So if it is indeed 3-1-4-2 for Chelsea, that would mean Cucurella starting alongside Thiago Silva and Chalobah in a back three again despite the criticism and his early substitution against Manchester United.

Then we presumably have Jorginho holding and Sterling and Pulisic as wing-backs supporting Kovacic and Gallagher.

Havertz then partners Aubameyang up front. Let’s see if a slightly unconventional set-up pays off.

Salzburg swap two with Sesko on bench

16:53 , George Flood

Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle makes two changes to the side that drew 0-0 here with Sturm Graz in the Austrian Bundesliga at the weekend, leaving them two points clear of their rivals at the summit.

French defender Oumar Solet and teenage midfielder Lawrence Agyekum are replaced by Bernardo and Luka Sucic.

Star forward Benjamin Sesko is only a substitute again as Noah Okafor and Junior Adamu lead the attack.

Nizaar Kinsella at Red Bull Arena

16:42 , George Flood

Chelsea are expected to be lining up in a 3-1-4-2 formation which is unconventional to say the least.

It's the system used by Graham Potter in his first game in charge, which was the 1-1 draw with RB Salzburg in September.

Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic will operate as wing backs or wide midfielders depending on how you want to look at it.

Four Chelsea changes

16:40 , George Flood

It looks like Potter has made four changes to the Chelsea side held by Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.

Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz all come in for Cesar Azpilicueta, Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who drop to the bench.

It looks like an unconventional 3-1-4-2 formation from tactician Potter, which he also used in the home game against Salzburg last month.

More thoughts on that from Nizaar Kinsella in a moment!

RB Salzburg team

16:33 , George Flood

Starting XI: Kohn, Dedic, Wober, Pavlovic, Bernardo, Gourna-Douath, Seiwald, Kjaergaard, Sucic, Adamu, Okafor

Subs: Mantl, van der Brempt, Piatkowski, Baidoo, Ulmer, Simic, Diarra, Sesko, Walke

Chelsea team

16:27 , George Flood

Starting XI: Kepa, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella, Jorginho, Kovacic, Gallagher, Pulisic, Havertz, Sterling, Aubameyang

Subs: Loftus-Cheek, Bettinelli, Mendy, Broja, Mount, Zakaria, Chilwell, Ziyech, Azpilicueta, Chukwuemeka

16:26 , George Flood

The first fixture between these sides on September 14 was memorable for being Potter’s first match in charge after succeeding Thomas Tuchel.

Raheem Sterling put Chelsea ahead that night shortly after half-time, before the hosts were pegged back at Stamford Bridge thanks to Noah Okafor.

That stalemate, which followed hot on the heels of a woeful defeat in Zagreb that proved the final straw for Tuchel, left Chelsea rock bottom of Group E.

However, they have come back firing since with back-to-back comfortable wins over AC Milan and remain unbeaten in eight games across all competitions under Potter, going more than 10 hours without conceding a goal before Casemiro’s last-gasp effort on Saturday.

They have been defensively miserly despite a growing list of absentees, but it’s in attack where Chelsea must improve after successive draws.

Chelsea to appoint Stewart as part of transfer ‘think tank’

16:18 , George Flood

Chelsea are set to appoint Monaco technical director Laurence Stewart as part of plans to build a new-look transfer ‘think tank’ to oversee player recruitment, writes Nizaar Kinsella.

New co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake are restructuring the club and Stewart will form part of a group who will decide transfer strategy.

As part of the new set-up, Chelsea are having talks with Brighton’s head of recruitment Paul Winstanley.

The Blues have already brought in Graham Potter’s recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay from Brighton and are also appointing Southampton’s Joe Shields as director of recruitment.

Stewart, Macaulay, Shields and Winstanley will form part of the ‘think tank’, which is part of a strategy to implement a collaborative structure instead of having a big-name sporting director.

Read the full story here

16:12 , George Flood

The calm before the storm at Red Bull Arena in Wals-Siezenheim, in the suburbs of Salzburg.

1,500 travelling Chelsea fans will be inside this stadium this evening.

Group E permutations

16:04 , George Flood

Chelsea will book their place in the last 16 of the Champions League if they win tonight, while a draw would also be enough if AC Milan win in Zagreb in an 8pm kick-off.

If the Blues win and Zagreb do not, then Potter’s side will guarantee first place and a theoretically easier knockout draw.

Meanwhile, if Salzburg were to win and Milan did not beat Dinamo, then the Austrians would seal their own progress.

Predicted Chelsea lineup

15:55 , George Flood

With Koulibaly, Fofana and James all out, Chelsea are expected to go with a back four in Salzburg this evening.

This is how Standard Sport’s Blues correspondent Nizaar Kinsella sees Potter lining up, with Ben Chilwell and Jorginho making way for Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz.

Marc Cucurella could be given another chance at left-back after lining up in a back three against Manchester United and being hauled off before half-time.

Predicted Chelsea XI (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Silva, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic; Havertz, Mount, Sterling; Aubameyang

Potter update on Koulibaly

15:42 , George Flood

Graham Potter reassured Chelsea fans yesterday that Koulibaly’s injury was nothing serious and he hopes the Senegal centre-back will be back in training before Saturday’s trip to former club Brighton.

“It’s not too serious, but this game was too soon for him,” he said.

“We are hoping to get him on grass either on Wednesday or Thursday, but he is not available for tomorrow.”

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea prediction

15:33 , George Flood

There was little to split these two sides little over a month ago but Chelsea undoubtedly look a much stronger side now.

Chelsea to win, 2-1.

RB Salzburg team news - Raft of injuries

15:32 , George Flood

Meanwhile, Salzburg have a long injury list and are missing the likes of Justin Omoregie, Fernando, Ousmane Diakite, Nicolas Capaldo and Sekou Koita.

Luka Sucic could also miss out, though Andreas Ulmer and Oumar Solet should be fit to feature this evening.

Chelsea team news - Koulibaly out

15:27 , George Flood

Chelsea are without Kalidou Koulibaly again this evening due to a knee issue sustained at Brentford that ruled him out of Saturday’s last-gasp draw with Manchester United.

Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Wesley Fofana are all also sidelined.

Where to watch RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

15:23 , George Flood

TV channel: In the UK, today’s game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 4.

Live stream: BT Sport subscribers will also be able to watch the action unfold online via the BT Sport website or app.

Welcome to RB Salzburg vs Chelsea LIVE coverage!

14:55 , George Flood

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Chelsea’s Champions League meeting with RB Salzburg tonight.

The Blues, who now top Group E, can secure their place in the knockout stages of Europe’s elite club competition with a win in Austria.

Kick-off inside the Red Bull Arena is at 5.45pm BST, so stay tuned for live build-up, team news and updates, including expert analysis from Nizaar Kinsella at the stadium.