RB Salzburg vs Chelsea Champions League result and reaction as Chelsea qualify for knockout stage - live

Chelsea can qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and win Group E tonight if they defeat RB Salzburg at the Red Bull Arena. The Blues sit top of the group on seven points with Salzburg just one behind meaning whoever is victorious this evening takes pole position going into the final round of group games. If it is Graham Potter’s side who win, they will also clinch the group providing Dinamo Zagreb do not also beat AC Milan in the other fixture.

Chelsea have not lost since Potter took over as manager of the London side. His first game in charge ended in a 1-1 draw with Salzburg before he took the Blues on a five-game winning run across all competitions, but their momentum has slowed thanks to consecutive draws against Brentford (0-0) and Manchester United (1-1) – with the United game hurtful due to Casemiro’s very late equaliser.

Going by the previous encounter between these two teams in September, Chelsea should control most of tonight’s game even though it is being played in Austria. They dominated, possessions and chances created only for Raheem Sterling’s opener to get cancelled out by Noah Okafor with quarter of an hour to play. However, Salzburg have only lost once this season – back in August – and will not make this an easy night for the Blues.

Follow all the action as Chelsea travel to RB Salzburg in the Champions League:

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

• FULL-TIME! Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

• Chelsea qualify for knockout stages with a game to spare

• 64’ - GOAL! Havertz curls in a beauty from the edge of the box (SAL 1-2 CHE)

• 49’ - GOAL! Adamu beautifully guides the ball home from Wober’s pass (SAL 1-1 CHE)

• 23’ - GOAL! Kovacic finds the top corner with first-time finish (SAL 0-1 CHE)

• Previous encounter ended 1-1 at Stamford Bridge

FC Salzburg 1 - 2 Chelsea FC

FT RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:42 , Michael Jones

Graham Potter’s Chelsea remain unbeaten in Europe and now they’re into the round of 16 with one group game to spare.

Full-time: RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:39 , Michael Jones

90+6 mins: Chelsea qaulify for the knockout stages of the Champions League! They have beaten RB Salzburg in Austria and remain top of Group E with an unassailable 10 points from five games.

All that remains is whether they can sow up the group win tonight but that is out of their hands. They need AC Milan to defeat Dinamo Zagreb and if so the Blues are guaranteed top spot.

Slazburg made it tricky for Graham Potter’s men in the second half but Kai Havertz scored a beauty to give Chelsea the win. It was a great game in the end and Chelsea get the job done.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:37 , Michael Jones

90+3 mins: Salzburg have put central defender Pavlovic up top as a target man but time is running out for the home side. There’s little breaks in play and Chelsea are taking their time getting play restarted.

Broja carries the ball to the corner and holds it up well. Good play from the forward to eke out a few more seconds.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:33 , Michael Jones

90 mins: Six minutes of added time to play!

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:33 , Michael Jones

89 mins: Chelsea are being made to work to see out this game. Salzburg are winning corner after corner but the Blues are keeping them out.

Chalobah is up highest to nod the third set piece out of the box but the ball bounces out of play again. The fourth consecutive corner is curled over to Bernardo but Kepa meets the ball in the and punches it away.

A snapshot comes from the edge of the box but the goalkeeper drops low and smothers the ball.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:31 , Michael Jones

86 mins: Chance! Salzburg continue to try and rescue the game as they win a corner late in the second half. The ball is whipped into the middle and Kepa comes out to flap at the ball.

He doesn’t clear it and it drops kindly for Lucas Gourna-Douath who belts an effort over the crossbar!

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:26 , Michael Jones

83 mins: Thiago Silva lands awkwardly after winning an aerial duel ahead of Roko Simic. The 37-year-old lands on his back and stays down as the referee stops the game.

The Chelsea medical team come on to check him over but it seems as though he’ll be okay to play on.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:24 , Michael Jones

80 mins: 10 minutes to play in Austria and Chelsea have a decent grip on the game. Graham Potter’s tactical change seem to have slowed the attacking rhythm of the home side.

Remember three points is enough for Chelsea to qualify for the knockouts so they’re content to keep possession and manage the game.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:20 , Michael Jones

76 mins: With less than 15 minutes to play Graham Potter looks to make Chelsea a bit more defensively solid with two more changes.

Cesar Azpilicueta and Armando Broja come on to replace Christian Pulisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It also looks as though Potter has switched the formation into a back four.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:18 , Michael Jones

73 mins: Chance! Sterling brings the ball down the left side and waits for Havertz to complete his overlapping run before slipping the ball up to him.

Havertz squares it into the box where Pulisic runs onto the pass but miscues his first time strike. The ball bobbles back tp Gallagher who does smoke one but his shot is blocked by the nearest defender.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:14 , Michael Jones

70 mins: Ruben Loftus-Cheek is on to replace Mateo Kovacic for Chelsea.

Salzburg send another aerial ball into the box and this one it nodded on by Strahinja Pavlovic. Kepa Arrizabalaga comes to deal with it but he’s left in no-man’s land and for half a second Chelsea look worried.

There’s no need though as Thiago Silva drops back, brings the ball under control on his chest then works it away just a couple of yards in front of the goal line.

RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea

19:12 , Michael Jones

67 mins: Salzburg aren’t done yet. Sesko leans on Chalobah and pushes the defender away from the ball as it comes over the top from the left.

His first touch it excellent and he turns into a more central area before drilling a low shot at goal that Kepa turns wide of the target!

GOAL! RB Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea (Havertz, 64)⚽️

19:07 , Michael Jones

64 mins: It wasn’t a good time after all! Kai Havertz gives Chelsea the lead once more!

The Blues work the ball down the right side and send it up to Christian Pulisic. Conor Gallagher makes a run off the ball into the box to draw away one of the central defenders before Pulisic spins off an attempted tackle and threads the ball across to Havertz.

He receives it on the front edge of the box, rolls the ball onto his left foot then curls a beautiful effort into the top left-hand corner!

Celtic vs Shakhtar line-ups

19:07 , Michael Jones

Under 30 minutes to play at the Red Bull Arena with Chelsea searching for a winning goal. Now seems like a good opportunity to check out the line-ups for Celtic vs Shakhtar Donetsk at 8pm.

Here are the teams:

Celtic XI: Hart; Juranovic, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Taylor; O’Riley, Hatate, Abada; Haksabanovic, Kyogo, Giakoumakis

Shakhtar XI: Trubin; Mykhaylichenko, Bondar, Matviyenko, Taylor; Stepanenko; Zubkov, Bondarenko, Traoré, Mudryk; Sudakov

RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea

19:04 , Michael Jones

62 mins: Thiago Silva commands the Chelsea penalty area and heads the ball away for a throw in. The ball comes back into the box and Sesko flicks it on but once again the Blues are on top of things and work the ball clear.

RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea

19:03 , Michael Jones

59 mins: The match is flowing nicely from end-to-end which should excite the neutrals. Benjamin Sesko is brought on for Salzburg to replace Luka Sucic.

That’s a positive, attacking change from the home side who no doubt believe they can win this match.

RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea

19:02 , Michael Jones

56 mins: Christian Pulisic sprints up the pitch this time but can’t full control the ball as it comes into him and his first touch takes the ball into the box where Philipp Kohn runs out and smothers it.

Chelsea are responding well though after conceding.

RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea

18:56 , Michael Jones

52 mins: Off the line!

Kohn denies Aubameyang again managing to turn the ball wide of goal as the striker is fed into the box. Chelsea win a corner that gets swung onto the head of Jorginho who nods it towards goal.

Kohn is beaten this time but Adamu - who has just earned Salzburg the equaliser - is back to defend and he hooks the ball away before it crosses the goal line!

GOAL! RB Salzburg 1-1 Chelsea (Adamu, 49’)⚽️

18:52 , Michael Jones

49 mins: Chelsea are pegged back!

Fresh from the penalty appeal Salzburg attack again but come down the left side this time. Maximilian Wober brings the ball forward and whips in a perfect cross that is too far in front of Marc Cucurella for him to reach before curling back into Junior Adamu.

Adamu sticks out a leg to meet the bouncing ball and he guides it just wide of Kepa Arrizabalaga to send the home fans crazy.

Chelsea need a response now.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:51 , Michael Jones

48 mins: Penalty appeal!

Salzburg whip an aerial pass into the box and Jorginho is flattened trying to win it. The ball comes loose, bounces up and strikes Mateo Kovacic on the arm as he looks to clear it.

Salzburg are adamant that they should have a penalty but VAR takes a look and nothing comes from it.

Second half: RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:48 , Michael Jones

Kick off: Salzburg get the match restarted for the second half and win a throw in inside Chelsea’s half. There are no changes from either manager at the break.

As it stands Chelsea will qualify for the knockout stages tonight.

Celtic vs Shakhtar Donetsk

18:47 , Michael Jones

Coming up at the conclusion of this game is a big clash in Group F as Celtic host Shakhtar Donetsk. The Scottish side need to win to keep their hopes of dropping down into the Europa League alive but a defeat will knock them completely out of Europe this season.

We’ll have coverage of that match as soon as Chelsea finish up in Austria.

HT RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:42 , Michael Jones

Mateo Kovacic is only the second player to score his first five Champions League goals under different managers (Jurcic, Benitez, Zidane, Lampard, Potter), along with Luka Modric (Redknapp, Mourinho, Ancelotti, Benitez, Zidane).

HT RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:38 , Michael Jones

Chelsea lead 1-0 thanks to Mateo Kovacic’s brilliant left-footed strike. Will the Blues add to their tally in the second half?

Half-time: RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:33 , Michael Jones

45+1 mins: Chelsea slice through the defence once more and Kohn denies Aubameyang again!

The visitors take a slender lead into the break and Graham Potter will be pleased with his side’s performance so far. If not for Salzburg’s goalkeeper the Blues would have this match sown up already.

He’ll want to add another goal as early into the second half as possible just to be sure but it’s so far so good for the London side.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:31 , Michael Jones

44 mins: Sterling and Kovacic combine on the left wing and pass the ball quickly between each other before feeding it into the box with some help from Havertz.

He strays offside though and has to leave the ball for Aubameyang who sticks out his right leg and catches the goalkeeper as he flings himself on top of the loose ball.

Another decent stop from Philipp Kohn!

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:28 , Michael Jones

41 mins: Chelsea are dominating now. They’ve had over 76% possession and created five attempts at goal with four hitting the target.

Philipp Kohn has stopped the Blues adding to their lead in this half.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:24 , Michael Jones

38 mins: Chance! Jorginho gives the ball to Trevoh Chalobah who pushes up the pitch and slides a great pass into the right side of the penalty area to match Conor Gallagher’s run.

He lifts the ball across to the edge of the six-yard box where Kai Havertz wins it in the air and heads the ball into the ground. It’s a decent effort but he hits it straight at the goalkeeper who manages to palm it into the air before grabbing hold of it on the second attempt.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:22 , Michael Jones

35 mins: Chelsea have just moved up the gears and are slickly moving the ball around the pitch. Kovacic finds Sterling on the left who drives at the defence before slipping Havertz into the box.

He takes the ball to the byline before cutting it back into space but none of his teammates can get to the ball before Salzburg clear the danger.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:20 , Michael Jones

32 mins: Save! Oh that would have been a beltin’ goal for Chelsea.

Jorginho brings the ball through the middle and sends it up to Raheem Sterling. He lays the ball off to Mateo Kovacic before spinning around the nearest defender and driving into the box.

Kovacic works the ball over to Kai Havertz on the left channel and he brings it into the penalty area before squaring across Sterling and picking out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

He takes a couple of touches then shoots but dallies long enough on the ball to allow Philipp Kohn to close him down and stop the shot with his left leg!

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:16 , Michael Jones

29 mins: Christian Pulisic is getting some much needed minutes tonight ahead of the World Cup starting next month. He goes on a run down the right wing carrying the ball out of his own half before Wober brings him down in a clash of bodies.

Chelsea take another quick free kick and look to spread the play from one side to the other.

RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea

18:13 , Michael Jones

26 mins: Save! Chelsea come close to adding a second!

They win a corner that gets curled onto the top of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s head. He whips the ball towards goal but it takes a slight deflection off Maximilian Wober which brings it within range of the goalkeeper.

Philipp Kohn leaps across to his right and pushes the ball wide of the back post. Great save!

GOAL! RB Salzburg 0-1 Chelsea (Kovacic, 23’)⚽️

18:09 , Michael Jones

23 mins: Fantastic finish from Mateo Kovacic!

Conor Gallagher swings a cross into the box from the right side and hits Kai Havertz on the head but he doesn’t know a geat deal about where the ball goes.

Christian Pulisic is up with him and recovers the ball but Havertz can’t shift it into a shooting position. Maximilian Wober gets across and pokes it away from him but the ball rolls across the body of Kovacic who lifts the ball into the top left-hand corner with a first time shot from just inside the box!

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

18:07 , Michael Jones

18 mins: Salzburg are unbeaten in their last 40 games at this ground. It won’t be an easy night for Chelsea but so far they’re handling the pressure well enough.

Nicolas Seiwald fouls Mateo Kovacic about halfway inside his own half but Chelsea work it quickly out to Raheem Sterling on the left wing.

He’s closed down almost immediately as Salzburg put everyone behind the ball and Chelsea are forced to retreat.

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

18:03 , Michael Jones

15 mins: Salzburg have found their feet in the game and are causing a few problems for Chelsea whenever they recover the ball. They’re fast to transition into attack and have been willing to get players up the pitch.

Luka Sucic receives the ball on the inside left channel and lets fly from just outside the Chelsea penalty area but his effort is always rising and he smokes it over the crossbar.

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

18:01 , Michael Jones

12 mins: Noah Okafor wins a second corner in quick succession for Salzburg after Kepa Arrizabalaga gives the ball away. However Chelsea deal with it competently and look to sweep up the pitch.

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

17:55 , Michael Jones

9 mins: Dedic pushes high up the right wing and forces Raheem Sterling into some defensive work for Chelsea as he blocks a cross behind for a corner.

The delivery comes over to Bernardo but he doesn’t quite reach it and Trevoh Chalobah manages to nod the ball down before Chelsea clear their lines.

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

17:52 , Michael Jones

6 mins: Great play from Chelsea who press brilliantly and close down the ball in numbers. Amar Dedic loses it to Mateo Kovacic but he in turn is tackled in the centre of the final third.

Conor Gallagher is quickest to respond for the Blues and nicks it back before threading a fine pass through the lines to send Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang into the box.

Aubameyang’s first touch is shocking though and he ends up passing the ball to the goalkeeper.

RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

17:50 , Michael Jones

3 mins: Penalty shout! Salzburg defender Bernardo attempts to nod an aerial ball back to his goalkeeping but underhits it massively. Philipp Kohn sprints out of his own goal and drives at the ball just as Kai Havertz flies past the defender.

The goalkeeper dives to the floor and reaches the ball first before flapping it away from Havertz and colliding with the Chelsea forward.

There’s a shout from the visitors for a penalty as Havertz hits the deck but the referee signals that Kohn got the ball first and waves away the appeal.

Kick off: RB Salzburg 0-0 Chelsea

17:47 , Michael Jones

Chelsea get the ball rolling and work it over to the right wing where they win throw high up the pitch. Salzburg keep their defensive shape tight but the Blues knock the ball backwards and look to gently play themselves into the game.

Christian Pulisic has started wide on the right with Raheem Sterling taking up a similar position on the opposite wing.

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

17:43 , Michael Jones

Here come the teams!

Chelsea know that a victory tonight will send them into the round of 16 with one game to spare and they could also clinch the group provided that Dinamo Zagreb lose to AC Milan.

1,500 Chelsea fans have travelled to watch their side this evening. Will they see a Blues victory?

A good omen for Potter?

17:39 , Michael Jones

Graham Potter is looking to become the first Chelsea manager to go unbeaten in his first four Champions League games since Roberto Di Matteo did so in April 2012.

Di Matteo led the Blues to the final that year where they defeated Bayern Munich 4-3 on penalties following 1-1 draw during the match.

Salzburg’s key man?

17:36 , Michael Jones

Only Erling Haaland (eight) has scored more Champions League goals for Salzburg than Noah Okafor (six).

Can Chelsea win again?

17:32 , Michael Jones

Graham Potter’s side have won their last two games in the Champions League beating AC Milan 3-0 at home and 2-0 away.

The last time Chelsea won three games in a row in the competition, by at least a two goal margin, was in Oct/Nov 2013 when Jose Mourinho was in charge.

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

17:28 , Michael Jones

The warm ups are underway at the Red Bull Arena with kick off just over 15 minutes away.

Winning with the kids?

17:24 , Michael Jones

The average age of Salzburg’s starting XIs in the Champions League this season is 22 years and 346 days: the youngest of any team in the competition this term.

RB Salzburg have also scored exactly one goal in each of their last seven games in the Champions League.

Chelsea’s pre-World Cup fixture schedule ‘crazy’, Cesar Azpilicueta claims

17:20 , Michael Jones

Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta said the number of games being crammed into the schedule ahead of the World Cup next month is “crazy” and that player welfare is being jeopardised.

Azpilicueta’s team mate N’Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation on a hamstring injury, while Reece James is in a race to be fit for the tournament after injuring his knee.

Chelsea have three league fixtures, two Champions League games and a League Cup tie before the World Cup in Qatar begins on 20 November.

Chelsea’s pre-World Cup fixture schedule ‘crazy’, Cesar Azpilicueta claims

Will Chelsea reach the knockout rounds tonight?

17:15 , Michael Jones

Chelsea’s Champions League campaign got off to the worst possible start this season when they lost 1-0 in Croatia to Dinamo Zagreb on the first matchday of the group stages.

That loss resulted in the sacking of Thomas Tuchel and the appointment of Graham Potter as head coach who has since led the Blues to two wins and one draw from the next three games.

Five teams are already through to the round of 16 - Bayern Munich, Club Bruges, Manchester City, Napoli and Real Madrid. Will Chelsea join them this evening?

Potter addresses concerns over Chelsea’s attacking prowess

17:10 , Michael Jones

Since Graham Potter took over as manager of Chelsea the Blues have averaged 12.8 shots per game but that rate has been considerably lower of later and Potter was asked why he thinks this is the case.

“It’s a simple question to ask but a complex one to answer,” he said. “There are lots of things I would say. We’ve had a couple of issues in losing Reece [James], [Kalidu] Koulibaly, and Wesley [Fofana] in terms of stability,

“Away matches off the back of away matches in the Champions League, tough places to go. So, it’s a combination of finding the right balance, a bit of a process in terms of not much training time between the games: I think we’ve had seven matches in the last three weeks.

“So when a lot of players are coming out for different reasons, we just need to find that stability and structure, but that is probably a bit more complex and has been a bit of the challenge as well.”

Three in a row?

17:04 , Michael Jones

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is hoping to score in three consecutive Champions League appearances for Chelsea having netted in both group matches versus AC Milan. If he is successful he will be the first player to achieve this feat for the Blues since Willian in 2015.

More from Potter

16:57 , Michael Jones

Chelsea boss Graham Potter is focused on winning tonight and isn’t too preoccupied about the permutations to reach the latter stage of the tournament.

“It would be nice to win, absolutely, and there are consequences to winning,” he said. “But our thoughts are just try to win the match, perform as well as we can.

“We understand how tough it’s going to be but we have to take the challenge and put ourselves in a good position. We’re not finished, we haven’t got enough points, we need to carry on, so that’s going to be the test. We’re looking forward to it.”

Solid travellers

16:52 , Michael Jones

Since the start of 2020/21, Chelsea have won nine of their 13 away matches in the Champions League. Their only defeats on the road in that time where in Turin against Juventus last September and against Dinamo Zagreb earlier this season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek hopes improved form and fitness will help late World Cup bid

16:49 , Michael Jones

In-form Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek said his physical condition has never been better as he revealed he recently spoke with tennis star Andy Murray about overcoming injury setbacks.

Loftus-Cheek has started five of the Blues’ last six games under Graham Potter and retains hope of forcing his way into England’s World Cup squad.

The 26-year-old, who is preparing to face RB Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, has endured a frustrating, stop-start career at Stamford Bridge amid a number of fitness issues.

But he is once again threatening to finally fulfil the potential which saw him earn a place at the 2018 World Cup, having been relatively injury-free since returning from a ruptured Achilles tendon in 2020.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek hopes improved form and fitness will help late World Cup bid

Ready to go in Austria

16:45 , Michael Jones

The sun is shining over the Red Bull Arena and the team news is out. Graham Potter looks like he’ll be setting Chelsea up in a new formation this evening with a core back three, four strikers and three quality ball-carriers.

What shape he puts them in is yet to be determined but it should be entering nonetheless.

‘We’ll try to win the game’

16:40 , Michael Jones

Chelsea boss, Graham Potter, says that his team will play to pick up all three points this evening but acknowledges that this isn’t an easy ground to come to and win.

“We’ll try to win the game,” he said yesterday in a pre-match press conference, “but with the greatest respect to our opponent because we know they are a tough side.

“If you look at their record here, they are very, very strong. So we will not take anything for granted.”

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea team changes

16:34 , Michael Jones

Matthias Jaissle makes three changes to the RB Salzburg line-up from the team that drew 1-1 with Dinamo Zagreb last time out in the Champions League. Out go defenders Oumar Solet and Andreas Ulmer with Maximilian Wober and Bernardo replacing them. Junior Adamu joins the forward line ahead of Benjamin Sesko.

Meanwhile there are four changes for Graham Potter’s Chelsea in comparison to the 11 that started against Manchester United at the weekend. Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic are given starts up top with Conor Gallagher and Mateo Kovacic slotting into the midfield.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek drop out.

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea line-ups

16:28 , Michael Jones

RB Salzburg XI: Kohn, Dedic, Wober, Bernardo, Pavlovic, Kjaergaard, Gourna-Douth, Seiwald, Sucic, Okafor, Adamu

Chelsea XI: Arrizabalaga, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella, Jorginho, Kovacic, Gallagher, Pulisic, Sterling, Aubameyang, Havertz

‘We don’t feel any pressure'

16:23 , Michael Jones

Red Bull Salzburg’s head coach, Matthias Jaissle, says that the overwhelming feeling within his squad for tonight’s clash with Chelsea is one of excitement and that his players are not feeling the pressure of playing for a spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League:

”We don’t feel any pressure, we are just looking forward to the match.” he said, “Our boys have performed really impressively so far - beyond what could be expected. We are big outsiders again, of course.

“We want to play brave, bold football and unsettle the mighty Chelsea a bit. However, we know we are playing an absolute top-class team that won the competition in 2021.”

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

16:18 , Michael Jones

Chelsea had never met RB Salzburg prior to this season’s Champions League group stage. Salzburg are the third side from Austria that Chelsea have faced in European competition after Austria Vienna in 1994/95 and Wiener Sport-Club in 1965/66.

Group E permutations

16:13 , Michael Jones

Chelsea will be through to the round of 16 if they win tonight, or if they draw and AC Milan win against Dinamo Zagreb. The Blues will be confirmed in first place if they win and Dinamo do not.

Salzburg will be through to the round of 16 if they win and Milan do not.

Loftus-Cheek eyes outside chance of making World Cup squad

16:07 , Michael Jones

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is hoping his form and consistency will put him in the running to make it into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup in Qatar next month.

The 26-year-old played for England at the 2018 World Cup but has not added to his 10 caps since rupturing his Achilles in May 2019 and after a couple of seasons fighting to get back to top shape he is now holding down a more regular spot in Chelsea’s starting XI.

"This is the most I have played for Chelsea, consistently, which is another positive," said Loftus-Cheek, "As a young player going to the 2018 World Cup you see your trajectory going [up] and to obviously be at the next World Cup, if all goes well.

"A lot has happened in that time and I am just happy and grateful to be fit and healthy and playing football now, consistently.

"That’s all I can ask for, and if I go to the World Cup on the back of what I am doing now, it would mean the world to me, but that is not at the forefront of my mind at the moment."

Graham Potter insists N’Golo Kante’s injury will not distract from contract talks

15:59 , Michael Jones

Graham Potter has insisted N’Golo Kante’s four-month injury lay-off will not affect any new contract talks with Chelsea.

Kante’s latest hamstring problem requires surgery, ruling the France talisman out of the Qatar World Cup.

The World Cup-winning midfielder’s Stamford Bridge contract expires next summer, and a string of hamstring and knee problems have ravaged his last three years in west London.

Chelsea are understood to be chasing new midfield recruits in January and the summer, but manager Potter insisted the Blues’ only focus now is to help Kante recover from his latest setback.

Graham Potter insists N’Golo Kante’s injury will not distract from contract talks

Salzburg vs Chelsea early team news and predicted line-ups

15:55 , Michael Jones

Salzburg’s Matthias Jaissle will likely have to contend without Justin Omoregie (hamstring), Fernando (thigh), Ousmane Diakite (ACL), Nicolas Capaldo (knee), Sekou Koita (thigh) and Dijon Kameri (shoulder).

And there is now a doubt over Luka Sucic (adductor), but captain Andreas Ulmer could return, while Strahinja Pavlovic will serve a suspension domestically after last weekend’s red card but can play here.

Chelsea are without Wesley Fofana (knee), Reece James (knee) and N’Golo Kante (hamstring), while Kalidou Koulibaly (knee) is “not too serious” after missing last weekend’s draw with Manchester United but this game comes too soon.

Mateo Kovacic (knee) is building his fitness back up and being carefully managed. A premature introduction at the weekend from the bench may ensure another case of resting the Croatian.

Predicted line-ups

Salzburg XI: Kohn; Dedic, Solet, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Kjaergaard, Gourna-Douath, Seiwald; Sucic; Okafor, Sesko

Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Silva, Chilwell; Gallagher, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek; Mount, Havertz, Sterling

RB Salzburg vs Chelsea

15:51 , Michael Jones

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Champions League games.

Chelsea are in action in the 5.45pm kick off as they attempt to qualify for the knockout stages with a win over RB Salzburg in Austria. The previous clash between these two teams ended in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge - which was also manager Graham Potter’s first game in charge of the Blues - and only one point separates them in Group E. With only one group stage fixture left to play after this match Chelsea can advance to the next stage of the competition if they pick up three points tonight and may even secure their place at the top of the group as long as Dinamo Zagreb also defeat AC Milan.

Following this game Celtic host Shakhtar Donetsk in what could prove to be a vital game for their European campaign this year. The Hoops cannot qualify for the last-16 in the Champions League but there is still an opportunity for them to finish third in Group F and drop down to the Europa League. However Ange Postecoglou’s men will likely need to win both of the remaining fixutres starting with picking up three points against the Ukrainian side tonight.