Chelsea’s second and last early kick-off of the group stage comes at Rennes in northern France this evening. It is also a Tuesday fixture after a Saturday match, a particularly tight turnaround when all the Blues’ starters at Newcastle had also been involved in international games.

The victory on Tyneside made it six wins in nine matches at home and abroad for the Londoners, who top Group E and will hope to complete the double over the Bretons in an impressive Champions League campaign to date.

On Friday Rennes slipped to seventh in Ligue 1 after losing 1-0 to Bordeaux at home – their fifth defeat in six matches. On a night when little went well for the hosts, Benjamin Bourigeaud’s usually reliable set-plays were off-range, the goal frame was struck twice, and substitute Adrien Hunou swept a potential late equaliser over the gaping goal from six yards.

The early kick-off still handed them an extra day to recover ahead of this now pivotal tie. The Bretons’ chances of progress are hanging by a thread at the midway point of the group stage. Six adrift of the top two with nine points left to play for, they will cling to their recent track record against English visitors for comfort.

Although they have lost all three away meetings with Premier League sides in UEFA competitions – including 3-0 last time out at the Bridge – Rennes won both their previous home games. They beat Arsenal 3-1 in the Europa League Round of 16 in 2019, and John Gregory’s Aston Villa 2-1 in the Intertoto Cup semi-finals in 2001.

Group E permutations

The polarisation in Group E is stark, with the top two on seven points, and rest on one. Victory tonight in northern France, coupled with anything other than success for Krasnodar at home to Sevilla, will see the Blues safely through to the knockout phase of this competition. Even two draws would probably suffice for the Londoners, given the head-to-head results.

Remaining Group E fixtures

Krasnodar v Rennes  5.55pm Wed 2 DecSevilla v Chelsea  8pm Wed 2 DecChelsea v Krasnodar    8pm Tue 8 DecRennes v Sevilla    8pm Tue 8 Dec

Chelsea team news

Straight after the first of these back-to-back Group E matches, two-goal Timo Werner set his sights on the second, admitting, ‘we want to win there [in Rennes] with a good performance like today and then we want to battle it out with Sevilla for first place in the group.’

The jet-fuelled Swabian must be itching to land a strike or two with his left foot, as he regularly did for Leipzig last season. Tammy Abraham and Ben Chilwell are currently Chelsea’s only ambipedal players – scoring with both feet.

Last season around one in five goals for the Londoners was scored with a left peg, chiefly that of Olivier Giroud, Christian Pulisic or Marcos Alonso. This season, partly through the influx of lefties Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Chilwell, that ratio has risen closer to one in three.

For his part tonight, Abraham will look to become the first Chelsea player to score in four consecutive Champions League starts since Nicolas Anelka in February 2011 (who managed five in a row). Across all competitions, the centre-forward has produced a goal or assist every time he has been in the starting 11 this season. His clincher at St James’ Park was the perfect proof that even away to a nine-man defence the new-look team can carve out plenty of chances.

Meanwhile, the statistics are backing up the visual evidence that Capitaine Kante is back to his royal blue best. Reinstalled as holding midfielder, the France midfielder has made 27 interceptions, the best in the Premier League this season, as well as 25 successful tackles.

Another former Ligue 1 star making waves with the Blues is Edou Mendy, who started the season a Rennes player. On Saturday, for the seventh time in nine matches since arriving in London, every shot was captured in the spider’s web.

The headline team news is that Kai Havertz and Thiago Silva are ready to return, while Christian Pulisic will remain in London to ready himself for a potential return against Spurs at the weekend. Captain America’s absence could ensure that Tammy Abraham leads the line again, though Callum Hudson-Odoi has been pressing for a start.

Toni Rudiger could make way for Thiago Silva, while Havertz’s availability might mean Mateo Kovacic missing out unless Frank Lampard decides to rest his dynamo, Kante. Billy Gilmour is approaching match fitness after a fine, goalscoring performance for the Under-23s at the weekend.

Rennes upset

Teenage midfield prodigy Eduardo Camavinga started Friday’s home clash with Bordeaux, and last season’s top scorer M’Baye Niang came off the bench. The good news for Rennes of welcoming that important pair back from injury was dashed by a 1-0 defeat, proving Arfa goal is better than none. Just two of Rennes’ 14 shots were on target, and the Rouge-et-Noir have now failed to find the net in each of their past three matches.

They still have more Ligue 1 points at this stage of the season any campaign since 2017 but slipped from third to eighth as the weekend unfolded. Crucially, their signing from Juve, centre-back Daniele Rugani, remains sidelined, while attacking left-back Dalbert is suspended after his red card in London.

Julien Stephan used a 4-1-4-1 formation against Chelsea’s 4-3-3 at the Bridge and did the same in another 3-0 loss against PSG. He was, though, broadly pleased with the way his side tried to play through the Londoners’ intensive pressing while pressuring the hosts’ forwards themselves – despite two penalties and a sending-off.

Even with 10 men they created chances that Mendy did well to keep out. Despite him thwarting their chances, it was clear at the end how the Senegal international remains immensely popular at his old club.

Stephan must decide how best to thwart a Chelsea side he described as ‘formidable in transitions’, and capable of springing the hosts’ offside trap at will through Werner’s troublesome pace. In truth, the Blues always looked capable of finding another level if required, one that may be needed in Brittany tonight.

How to watch Rennes-Chelsea

This match is covered live by BT Sport in the UK. For the relevant broadcaster where you are elsewhere, check UEFA’s TV Guide.

Carefree, wherever we may be

Chelsea’s excellent away form in UEFA group stages continued at Krasnodar in the second round of matches. The Blues have won seven and drawn two of the past 10, and are now unbeaten on the road for more than three years, keeping a clean sheet in half those games.

Remembering the Cross-Channel Trophy

Long ago in May 1992, Chelsea visited Normandy for a friendly against Le Havre. The hosts won 1-0 and, perhaps in the spirit of ‘best of three’, an arrangement for further back-to-back meetings was made.

These winners of this football-based ‘entente cordiale’ would have the dubious honour of lifting the Cross-Channel Trophy. The first match was played on Sunday 11 October 1992 at Bridge, with more than 3,000 present to see homegrown youngsters Graham Stuart, Darren Barnard and David Lee build a seemingly unassailable 3-1 first-leg lead.

The return at Stade Jules Deschaseaux on Friday 23 April 1993, deliberately unmentioned in the Chelsea programme for fear of away supporters travelling, ended 1-1. Playing for the hosts that day was Cameroon international Andre Kana-Biyik, whose son Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik (pictured below) went on to make more than 100 appearances for Rennes.

What was supposed to be annual was instead a one-off, and Chelsea remain the holders of this prestigious prize.

Looking ahead to Spurs

Sunday’s visitors Tottenham do not play their Europa League game until Thursday, 48 hours after Chelsea are in Brittany. Although their opponents, Ludogorets, are the whipping boys of the group, can Jose Mourinho afford to rest many of his key players three days before the huge London derby?

Group J Europa League is very tight with three sides locked on six points. As LASK host Antwerp, the Lilywhites could steal a march on one or both of their rivals by beating the Bulgarians again at home.

The north Londoners lost another key man over the weekend, centre-back Toby Alderweireld sustaining a groin injury that will rule him out of Sunday’s match. It remains to be seen whether Mourinho will replace him with out-of-favour Davinson Sanchez, injury doubt Japhet Tanganga or inexperienced Joe Rodon at the Bridge. Thursday’s team selection might provide some insight, but Rodon was not selected for Spurs’ Europa League squad. Both UEFA competitions allow five substitutions.

Champions League fixtures (all BT Sport)

TuesdayKrasnodar v Sevilla 5.55pmRennes v Chelsea 5.55pmDortmund v Club Brugge 8pmDynamo Kiev v Barcelona 8pmJuventus v Ferencvaros 8pmLazio v Zenit St Petersburg 8pmMan Utd v Istanbul Basaksehir 8pmPSG v RB Leipzig 8pm

WednesdayBorussia Monchengladbach v Shakhtar Donetsk 5.55pmOlympiacos v Man City 5.55pmAjax v Midtjylland 8pmAtletico Madrid v Lokomotiv Moscow 8pmBayern Munich v RB Salzburg 8pmInter Milan v Real Madrid 8pmLiverpool v Atalanta 8pmMarseille v Porto 8pm