Steaua Bucharest v Chelsea Preview

Tonight, we once again journey to a foreign land to participate in a competition we never dreamed, back in August, we`d be in, the Europa League.

Tonight we`re playing the first of a two legged affair against the Romanian side, Steaua Bucharest, in the 55,600 National Arena, with all the tickets being snapped up in a manner of hours by what threatens to be a noisy and vibrant partisan crowd.

Playing on a Thursday night, with an 18:00 hours (UK time) kick-off, still feels strange, as does having every subsequent Premier League fixture switched to a Sunday afternoon kick-off, but that`s the price you have to play for failure.

With an important FA Cup Quarter-Final coming up at Old Trafford this Sunday, it is expected that Rafa Benitez will rotate his side. Demba Ba is illegible having played for Newcastle United in a previous round and it is expected that the likes of Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Juan Mata and Ramires will be rested.

Although the Europa League is small fry compare do the Champions League trophy we won back in May 2012, David Luiz is under no illusions as to what the competition means to him, commenting,

"It will be difficult - when you play as the Champions of Europe, Bucharest will come at us with massive power until the end."

"Everyone at Chelsea knows we have to stay in the top four so we can play in the Champions League again next season."

"But I also want to win the titles we`re going for."

"I don`t go into a Europa League game and think 'I don`t care about this."

"I have never won this competition so I want to feel what it`s like to win this title."

"I want to win it just as much as I did the Champions League last year."

"For me, it`s another European title."

And one of two trophies we could, quite possibly end up winning so let`s give it our best shot and get behind the team!

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