Basel vs. Chelsea: Blues Can't Overlook Formidable Swiss Champs in Europa League

Although Chelsea won't defend their Champions League title and already watched Manchester United claim the Premier League, they still have a chance to salvage the season. Winning the Europa League is part of that, but the Blues can't look past Basel in the semifinals.

It's easy to fall into the trap at this point in the season—just ask Tottenham. The Swiss Super League champions couldn't match Spurs' talent or depth, but never backed down over the course of two quarterfinal legs before eliminating the EPL side in a penalty shootout.

Tottenham should have been able to handle that matchup. They let Basel hang around for far too long, allowing them to gain confidence every step of the way, and it came back to haunt Spurs. Their elimination should help Chelsea.

Obviously, not having Tottenham in the field helps solidify the Blues as favorites to capture the Europa League trophy. Just as importantly, the fact Basel knocked them out should send a clear message to Chelsea about the threat FCB poses.

Make no mistake, Chelsea should be able to reach the final handily. Even if they accept a draw on the road in the opening leg, they should be able to secure advancement at Stamford Bridge.

The players can't afford to have that same type of outlook, though. Basel have already proven capable of keeping up with a Premier League side in two shootouts. If the Blues don't bring the same intensity they did during their UCL run last year, FCB can pull off another upset.

Marco Streller is the biggest concern for Chelsea. The veteran striker, who's in his second stint with the club, has scored 18 goals in 34 appearances during the current campaign. That includes four Europa League tallies to help Basel reach this point.

As proven once again against Liverpool over the weekend, the Chelsea back line is prone to lapses, often at the most inopportune times. Letting Luis Suarez get open in the box in the final moments of the match is something that simply can't happen.

If they allow similar opportunities to Streller, he will capitalize. Along with his partners on the attack, it puts the onus on David Luiz and John Terry to make sure they are able to keep the Basel attack at bay far better than Tottenham was able to in the previous round.

The other player under a lot of pressure is Fernando Torres. The talented yet wildly inconsistent striker has shown signs of a return to form lately. He scored three goals to help Chelsea get past Rubin in the previous round.

When he's playing well, it's amazing how much better the Blues are as a whole. It allows players like Juan Mata and Eden Hazard to assume more natural playmaking roles. So a strong finish from Torres would be a giant step toward a trophy and a spot in the top four.

Ultimately, Chelsea feature more than enough talent from top to bottom to end Basel's terrific run. As long as they don't overlook the Swiss side, they will move one step closer to the Europa title.