LONDON — Defending champions Chelsea face Ukrainian opposition — in the form of high-flying Shakhtar Donetsk — for the first time as the third round of Champions League group matches gets underway tonight.
Chelsea maintained their impressive start to the English Premier League on Saturday, a 4-2 victory over Tottenham and former boss Andre Villas-Boas securing a seventh win in eight matches for the west Londoners. But Roberto di Matteo’s side face in-form opposition with Shakhtar having won all 12 league matches this campaign as well as earning a creditable point at Group E rivals Juventus three weeks ago.
Independent of who the Italian selects in central defence, the Blues will have their hands full with Armenian striker Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has tallied 16 goals so far in all competitions. — Supersport