The penultimate batch of Champions League group-stage games takes Group E leaders Chelsea to Salzburg, the Alpine setting for The Sound of Music. So will it be ‘So Long, Farewell’ to second-placed hosts Red Bull, or will the Blues still have to ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ to secure knockout football for the 17th time in 18 campaigns?

Victory in this top-of-the-table clash would allow the Blues’ eyes to gaze beyond the fairytale castles along the Salzach river towards the Ataturk Arena, overlooking Lake Kucukcekmece in west Istanbul, the venue for the Champions League final on 10 June 2023.

Chelsea would claim a first-place finish in the group with a win in Austria, providing Dinamo do not beat AC Milan later in Zagreb. In that scenario the Blues would have 10 points, the most Salzburg could attain would be nine, and the Croatians would not be able to tie with the Londoners.

Milan might still gain parity with the world champions, but head-to-head records separate teams matched on points and we have beaten the Italians home and away. Group E concludes next Wednesday with Dinamo’s visit to the Bridge and Salzburg jetting over the Alps to Italy.

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This evening’s game means an especially busy turnaround for the traveling Blues, who hosted and dramatically drew with Manchester United on Saturday night. The match between Dinamo Zagreb and AC Milan is in the regular 8pm slot.

Since the start of 2020/21 the Londoners have won nine of our 13 away matches in this competition – 14 including the 2020/21 final in Porto.

Chelsea team news

The reverse of this match was Graham Potter’s opening match at Chelsea and he remains unbeaten in eight outings, but faces another intense week at home and abroad. The Champions League campaign could be put to bed tonight with top spot in the bag, or we could face an all or nothing clash with Dinamo next week.

On Saturday Potter returns to former club Brighton and might have done so from the vantage point of top four had Jorginho’s third penalty of the season (all of them opening goals) won last weekend’s game.

Instead the scourge of game management falling short returned, so that after saving each of the past 23 shots fired at him in all competitions, Kepa Arrizabalaga conceded his first goal in 627 minutes of action on Saturday to Casemiro’s last-gasp header.

In the absence of Wesley Fofana, Reece James, N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly, Potter has defensive issues to resolve. He may continue with the back four that closed the game on Saturday, with the impressive Trevoh Chalobah’s workload less of an issue than that of fellow centre-back Thiago Silva. The Brazilian made the 100th Champions League appearance of his career in Milan a fortnight ago.

Nor is midfield entirely a settled area. Mateo Kovacic has been nursing a knee problem but seems likely to start tonight, perhaps alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s physicality and Conor Gallagher, or Carney Chukwuemeka could be called in to harass the hosts. With so much at stake, no quarter will be given on either side this evening: Chelsea have won the most tackles in this competition to date (59) but Salzburg (57) are next best in that respect.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s strike in the San Siro victory was Chelsea’s 200th away goal across all European competitions but the Blues’ attack was less accurate when Salzburg visited the Bridge. Six shots were blocked and seven were off-target, though after Raheem Sterling’s excellent opener and Noah Okafor’s reply, Hakim Ziyech forced three late saves in quick succession.

Potter has favoured the Gabonese leading the line in Europe with Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling just behind, but Christian Pulisic has looked strong in recent cameos and Kai Havertz is rested. Whoever is involved, the team must summon the efficiency of the Milan games if Round of 16 participation is to be secured this evening.

Mount and, for Salzburg, Nicolas Capaldo and Strahinja Pavlovic, are a caution away from a one-match suspension.

The Bulls

RB Salzburg remain top of the Austrian Bundesliga, despite a stormy stalemate at title-rivals Sturm Graz, and are unbeaten in their last 16 matches in all competitions.

Saturday’s eventful 0-0 saw a caution for head coach Mathias Jaissle and controversial second yellow for key defender Strahinja Pavlovic. Salzburg managed nine shots in the first half, none on target, and by the end they had Swiss custodian Philipp Kohn to thank for the point.

They are a young side, set up in a fluid 4-diamond-2 formation, and play in an energetic, direct and well-organised fashion. They were aggressive in our 1-1 draw at the Bridge.

Midfield disrupter Nicolas Capaldo committed five of their 16 fouls and both full-backs, Amar Dedic and Andreas Ulmer, responsible for three apiece.

Upfront they have the likes of midfielder Maurits Kjaergaard making surging runs from deep and danger man Noah Okafor, who equalised at the Bridge, alongside Benjamin Sesko. All their forwards shoot early and often.

Jaissle’s selection concerns continue, though. Number 10 Luka Sucic has succumbed to injury since we met in September, joining Capaldo, Dijon Kameri, Sekou Koita, Ulmer and centre-back Bernardo, who has been ill. All of them played a part in the 1-1 draw in London. Powerful Serbia centre-back Pavlovic is banned domestically but available tonight.

Graz’s counterattacking pace regularly troubled Salzburg on Saturday and the Blues will hope to find the same gaps that helped produce 17 shots against the Austrians at the Bridge.

RB Salzburg will be paying tribute to their owner Dietrich Mateschitz who passed away on Saturday. There will be a banner displayed a moment's applause prior to kick-off.

Early doors

Today’s 5.45pm start time is a relatively common occurrence since UEFA introduced their split kick-off policy in 2018/19 (previously all games, except those in the Russian Federation, began at the same time). Prior to this season’s trip to Zagreb Chelsea were unbeaten in 11 such outings.

Recent early starts in European competitions

2022/23 Champions League
Dinamo Zagreb L 0-1

2021/22 Champions League
Malmo W 1-0
Zenit D 3-3

2020/21 Champions League
Krasnodar W 4-0
Rennes W 2-1

2019/20 Europa League
Ajax W 1-0
Valencia D 2-2

2018/19 Europa League
PAOK W 1-0
BATE Borisov W 1-0
MOL Vidi D 2-2
Dynamo Kyiv W 5-0

2017/18 Champions League
Qarabag W 4-0

Champions League so far …

With two to play, Chelsea are one of four teams on seven points, with Bayern Munich and Napoli the only clubs with a 100 per cent record. The same two clubs are the competition’s leading scorers – 17 for the Italians and the Germans with 13 – but only Manchester City (one) and Bruges (none) have conceded fewer goals than the Blues’ two.

Like the Londoners, Salzburg have let in one goal at home so far, and Chelsea (1.8) have the fewest expected-goals-against total across the competition outside of Man City (1.7). The Blues are also the third-most fouled club in the competition behind Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain.

We have history

Until matchday two Chelsea had never met RB Salzburg, though the pair clashed in an action-packed pre-season friendly at the Red Bull Arena in July 2019, when current Leeds coach Jesse Marsch was in their dugout.

Five current squad members featured for the then Europa League winners: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic, who scored twice in a see-saw 5-3 which the Blues led 3-0 at half-time.

Salzburg are the third Austrian team we have met in European competition after Austria Vienna (Austria Memphis at the time) in the 1994/95 Cup Winners’ Cup and 1965/66 Inter Cities Fairs Cup opponents Wiener Sport-Club.

The Londoners progressed from both ties but are yet to win on Austrian soil. Following a draw in London, Salzburg are one of just 12 sides we have played without beating, and the second from their homeland.

Our favourite things

(In honour of our first competitive visit to the city of ‘The Sound of Music’, with apologies to Rodgers & Hammerstein.)

Drogba in finals at Wembley or Bayern
Eden beats Arsenal without even trying
When Duff and Robben were ruling the wings
These are a few of our favourite things

Wise at San Siro and Jorgi on spot-kicks
Franco v Norwich and Dave Sexton’s tactics
Ruudi all suited and Ossie the king
These are a few of our favourite things

Frank settings records and Carlo’s raised eyebrow
Shushing from Jose and Pat being highbrow
Glory in Porto and Cooke running rings
These are a few of our favourite things

When the VAR fails
When defeat stings
When events are mad
We simply remember our favourite things
And then we don’t feel so bad

Champions League fixtures

Tuesday 25 October Champions League fixtures

• RB Salzburg v Chelsea 5.45pm

• Sevilla v Copenhagen 5.45pm

• Benfica v Juventus 8pm

• Borussia Dortmund v Man City 8pm

• Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk 8pm

• Dinamo Zagreb v AC Milan 8pm

• PSG v Maccabi Haifa 8pm

• RB Leipzig v Real Madrid 8pm

Wednesday 26 October Champions League fixtures

• Bruges v Porto 5.45pm

• Inter Milan v Viktoria Plzen 5.45pm

• Ajax v Liverpool 8pm

• Atletico Madrid v Bayer Leverkusen 8pm

• Barcelona v Bayern Munich 8pm

• Eintracht Frankfurt v Marseille 8pm

• Napoli v Rangers 8pm

• Tottenham v Sporting Lisbon 8pm