Maurizio Sarri: Eden Hazard Appearance vs. Slavia Prague Not in Original Plan

Maurizio Sarri revealed after Chelsea's 1-0 UEFA Europa League victory at Slavia Prague on Thursday that he did not originally plan to introduce Eden Hazard from the bench. 

Chelsea laboured for much of their quarter-final first leg at the Sinobo Stadium. But they were much improved after Hazard was brought on just before the hour mark, and Marcos Alonso scored a crucial away goal four minutes from time (U.S. and UK only, respectively):

Asked whether he had it in mind to use Hazard from the bench ahead of the match, Sarri said, per Nick Purewal of Press Association Sport (h/t MailOnline):

"No, at the beginning of the match I wanted him on the bench because I thought that, probably, the match was really very difficult. Probably I'd need to use him. Of course, if at the end of the first half we were 1-0, I wouldn't have used him."

Hazard has been Chelsea's most effective player this season, netting 16 goals and providing 12 assists in 32 Premier League games:

The Belgian will be vital for the Blues when they visit Anfield on Sunday to take on league leaders Liverpool.

A victory on Merseyside would be huge for Chelsea, as it would be a big step to securing a top-four spot and qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League:

The Europa League also provides Chelsea with a potential route back to Europe's elite club competition, as they will get a place in the 2018-19 Champions League if they win it.

Despite their below-par performance, Alonso's late goal means Chelsea are even heavier favourites to advance to the last four of the Europa League.

An away goal is such a crucial commodity in European ties, and Sarri's side will be widely expected to win the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Thursday.

Given the results in Thursday's other Europa League ties, Chelsea's most likely semi-final opponents are Benfica after they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-2 at the Estadio da Luz.

On the other side of the draw, Arsenal won 2-0 at home to Napoli and Valencia beat Villarreal 3-1 at El Madrigal.