Chelsea vs. Malmo: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa Match

Chelsea host Malmo at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday hoping to progress to the round of 16.

The Blues won the away leg 2-1 on Thursday thanks to goals from Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud, though Anders Christiansen gave the Swedish side some hope when he finished off an 80th-minute counter-attack.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is under immense pressure following Monday's 2-0 FA Cup defeat at home to Manchester United, so a convincing win is much-needed for the Italian. However, he'll likely have an eye on Sunday's Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester City.

Date: Thursday, February 21

Time: 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET

TV: BT Sport 2 (UK), UniMas (USA)

Live Stream: BT Sport App (UK), B/R Live (USA)

Odds: Chelsea (1-4), Draw (11-2), Malmo (14-1)

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker.

Following their FA Cup exit on Monday, the Europa League could be Chelsea's only chance of silverware this season if they are unsuccessful in Sunday's cup final, in which they will be huge underdogs.

The Blues' form has been disappointing for much of 2019, with their loss to United their fifth defeat in all competitions. Also among those were a 2-0 loss at the hands of bitter rivals Arsenal, a 4-0 thrashing by Bournemouth and a 6-0 humiliation by Carabao Cup final opponents City.

Each of those three came in the Premier League, and with Chelsea facing a tough battle to finish in the top four, the Europa League is another path to qualifying for next year's UEFA Champions League.

With the Blues leading the tie and facing a much bigger game just three days later, supporters will be hoping to see a start for Callum Hudson-Odoi on Thursday.

Goal's Nizaar Kinsella summarised the youngster's situation at Stamford Bridge when he was left out of the starting lineup for the first leg:

He eventually came off the bench against Malmo, but his cameo lasted just six minutes.

Malmo are still in their offseason—the Allsvenskan finished in December and does not restart for another five weeks—so facing a skilful, pacey player like Hudson-Odoi could be a struggle if Sarri finally puts his faith in the winger.

One player who fans can expect to see is Giroud, who doubled the Blues' tally in the first leg with a smart finish:

The Frenchman has been a reliable option for the team in Europe of late:

The Europa League could prove to be Giroud's biggest source of minutes for the remainder of the season following loanee Gonzalo Higuain's arrival at the club in January. However, if the former continues to contribute in those matches, he'll improve his chances of playing more domestically.

Malmo will need to score at least twice to progress because of the Blues' away goals, and that seems unlikely even amid the English side's recent struggles.

Chelsea could do with putting on a convincing display before the cup final, though, even if it's likely to be a largely different lineup in that game.