Chelsea vs. Dynamo Kiev: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Europa League

Chelsea welcome Dynamo Kiev to Stamford Bridge for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

The Blues had no problem advancing past Malmo in the previous round, making it seven wins from their eight games in the competition this season. Given a trip to Kiev in the second leg may be challenging, manager Maurizio Sarri will be keen to get this one wrapped up on home soil.

Dynamo faced a potentially tricky opponent in Olympiakos in the previous round but were able to make it into the last 16 after a 1-0 win at home. Still, manager Alyaksandr Khatskevich will be well aware that his team are big underdogs heading into this encounter.

Odds

Chelsea (6/11)

Draw (9/2)

Dynamo Kiev (10/1)

Odds are courtesy of OddsChecker

Date: Thursday, March 7

Time: 8 p.m. (GMT), 3 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: BT Sport (UK)

Live Stream: BT Sport website (UK), BR Live (U.S.)

Preview

The domestic competitions have been a grind for Chelsea at times this season. With that in mind, the Europa League has represented something of a relief for supporters.

While the Blues fanbase would no doubt prefer to be involved in the UEFA Champions League, Sarri has used these matches to give some of the team's younger players an opportunity to shine.

You suspect that will be the case on Thursday once again, especially given the way in which the team performed against Malmo in the previous round.

In the 3-0 win at the Bridge it was Callum Hudson-Odoi who starred, as he provided a constant threat to the opposition defence before netting himself:

Additionally, the Blues also started with Andreas Christensen at centre-back in that encounter, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ethan Ampadu were introduced into the action from the bench.

Should we see these types of players in the XI on Thursday, there will be a buzz among the Chelsea fanbase. After all, the team appear to have steadied themselves again recently following a testing run of results early in the year.

On Sunday, they made it back-to-back wins, following up the 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-1 triumph at local rivals Fulham.

Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph noted some under-fire figures have taken a step in the right direction:

For the visitors this will be a big challenge, and the aim of Khatskevich will likely be keeping the tie alive for the second leg. After all, the Olympiyskiy Stadium holds up to 70,000 supporters and can be an intimidating venue for opposition players.

In terms of players to watch out for, young midfielder Viktor Tsygankov is enjoying a breakthrough season and has produced some of his best performances for the club in the Europa League:

Away from home they have been solid in this competition so far, with no losses in any of their four games.

Even so, playing against Chelsea represents a major step up in quality for the Ukrainian side. Getting on the scoresheet would be a big bonus for them, although it's hard not to envisage a scenario in which the Blues are in control of the tie come the final whistle.

Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Dynamo Kiev