Chelsea will continue their march towards becoming the first ever team to win the Champions League and the Europa League in consecutive seasons, when they travel to FC Basel for the first leg of the semifinals.
The Blues have endured a disappointing campaign by their own high standards, but a Europa League title will be seen as something gained in an otherwise forgettable season.
Their defence of the F.A. Cup is over following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the semifinals, leaving the Europa League as their final shot at silverware for the season. The Blues will be hoping for a better outcome in this last-four tie, as they look to progress to the final at Amsterdam Arena.
It won't be easy, though, with Basel brimming with confidence having ousted Tottenham in the quarterfinals. "We have had good teams in the Europa League," Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez said. "Basel is in the semifinal and deserve to be there.
"They've worked very hard, have played well, and are well organised. They press well and play good counter-attack. They have good players with pace and ability so we will have to do really well if we want to win.
"Philipp Degen was my player (at Liverpool) and is a good professional, a worker and enjoys playing football. They have some good young players and others with more experience."
Basel surprised Spurs with their attacking play at times, and Chelsea will have to be wary of the threat posed by the Swiss side, who have a few of players capable of hurting any side, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Valentin Stocker, Aleksandar Dragovic and Marco Streller impressing on their way to their first ever European semifinal.
"We are very close to the final," Basel coach Burat Yakin said.
"I started this campaign against Videoton when we were last in the group. I have tried to present my vision to the team, one I hoped could lead the way to the final in Amsterdam, and now we are so close that we can reach it in two games."
Chelsea have been given a boost with both Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole making the trip to Switzerland, but Demba Ba, who is cup-tied, remains in London, leaving the goalscoring responsibility to Fernando Torres, who has scored four in his last three Europa League games.
"The main thing we have seen is he has more confidence, especially at the beginning when he was scoring goals," Benitez said of Torres' form.
"When he hasn't scored too much he has lost some confidence, but he is doing his specific programme for his strength.
"He is sharper now and has scored some goals so is more confident. We will see if he can carry on tomorrow (Thursday)."
Expected lineups: Basel: Sommer; Steinhofer, Degen, Dragovic, Schar; Salah, Cabral, Frei, Stocker; Streller, Bobadilla.
Chelsea: Cech; Azpilicueta, Luiz, Terry, Bertrand; Mikel, Lampard; Moses, Mata, Hazard; Torres.
Prediction: 1-1
