(Photo: Reuters/Darren Staples)England's John Terry catches the ball during a soccer training session in London Colney, north of London, September 3, 2012.Chelsea hosts FC Nordsjaelland at Stamford Bridge in what could be the last match of the English team's Champions League campaign.
The good times this past May, when Chelsea were crowned champions of Europe, seem a distant memory as they face the possibility of becoming the first champions to exit during the group stage.
But the Blues will have to have a bit of luck on their side, as a win will not guarantee them passage to the knock-out round.
Chelsea is currently in third place in Group E with seven points, which is two points behind Series A champions Juventus. The Ukrainian Champions, Shaktar Donetsk, lead the group with 10 points and will host the Italian side on Wednesday.
Shaktar Donetsk has already secured their spot in the next round of the Champions League and will only need to draw Juventus to advance to the next round in the top spot.
Unfortunately, should the two teams play to a draw, that would eliminate Chelsea from the competition given the fact that Juventas has a better head-to-head record in the group stage. If this scenario plays out, all is still not lost, as Chelsea would still have earned a spot in the Europa League.
For interim manager Rafa Benitiez, anything short of a victory will send fans into a fury and almost assuredly mean the end of his tenure as manager. His first few weeks at the helm have been filled with angry fans and calls for his firing after Roberto Di Matteo was unexpectedly let go in November.
The Spaniard has been booed by his own fans who are unhappy with his appointment and he has yet to pick up a victory since replacing Di Matteo.
Chelsea has not played well, having failed to win any of their last six games in all competitions, giving increased importance for a positive result in this match.
FC Nordsjaelland was a surprise to qualify for the Champions League, and perhaps their experience this year will help the club in their next Champions League, as they have managed to earn only one point during this campaign.
Kick-off for the match is at 2:45 ET and can be watched online here.
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