AS Roma hosts Chelsea in a game that will determine who will top Champions League Group C. Chelsea currently tops the group with seven points after four matches while AS Roma is at position two with five points. Atletico Madrid is on the brink of elimination after only garnering two points to stay at the third spot while Qurabag FK is the last team in the group with just a single point.

The Italian team will go top of the group should they overcome the Blues in the contest, but the group will wait a little longer to know the teams that will progress to the knock-out stages.

After coming from behind to get a 3-3 draw at Chelsea, AS Roma has won three consecutive Serie A matches with a uniform margin of 1-0 on each occasion.

The Londoners travel to Rome fresh from the 1-0 victory AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. Since the 3-3 draw against AS Roma in Champions League, Antonio Conte's side has won three matches in a row in all competitions. Chelsea needs the win in Roma on Tuesday night, but a defeat at the hands of Italians won't dent the Blues' chances of qualification into the Round of 16.

The group is still open

  • Chelsea tops the group with seven points and needs to beat AS Roma to near the qualification to the knockout stages. If the English champions lose, they will still have two matches left to revive their progress as the group leaders or as runners-up. However, a defeat to the Londoners can be detrimental the 2012/13 European champions as it can open group for all other teams.
  • Roma is placed second in the group with five points- just two points behind leaders, Chelsea. A win for Roma will see The Magic Ones leapfrog Chelsea and top the group. Also, AS Roma victory over Chelsea will guarantee the Italian club at least a third spot finish in the group.
  • Atletico Madrid will be hoping that the game in Rome ends in a stalemate for the Spanish club to stand a chance of going past the group stage. If Chelsea and AS Roma draw but Atletico Madrid beat Qarabag FK, all the first three teams will have mathematical chances to qualify.
  • Qarabag FK is playing in the Champions League for the first time in their history. In fact, the club remains the first team from Azerbaijan to play in the European elite competition. Qarabag FK got their first Champions League point in the 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid a fortnight ago. It'll be a tall order for the Champions League debutants to make it past group stages in a group with European giants, but Qarabag FK can make it if it wins all the remaining three matches.

Team news

The Italian team didn't get any card in the 3-3 tie at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago so there will be no player missing on the grounds of suspension.

However, AS Roma will be without Konstantinos Manolas, Rick Karsdorp and Emerson who are all nursing various injuries. AS Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco is expected to field the same side that earned a precious point in London as the team tries to top the group.

Only Tiemoue Bakayoko received a yellow card in the opposite fixture in London, but the booking wasn't enough to warrant him to miss the trip to Rome.

Antonio Conte travels to his country of birth without Victor Moses and N'golo Kante who are all injured. However, the manager is glad to have Danny Drinkwater back to the fold as the midfielder features in the 1-0 Premier League victory over AFC Bournemouth over the weekend. Apart from the injured duo, Conte has the rest of the players to include in his team.

Final score prediction: AS Roma 1-3 Chelsea
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED