Chelsea head into their final game of the Europa League group stage with a 100% winning record, and if they win their final game against MOL Vidi they will end the group with six wins out of six. It has been nothing short of impressive so far from The Blues, especially when a lot of English teams give little value to the competition. Chelsea have huge experience in Europe, and they will fancy their chances of winning the competition overall, and as we move further through the knockout stage, I expect we will see Chelsea take things even more seriously.

Behind Chelsea in this group, there is everything to play for. MOL Vidi are on six points, tied with BATE Borisov and one of those teams are going to make it through to the knockout phase alongside Chelsea. Both teams have played fairly well so far, and while they are showing nothing like the kind of form you need to win this competition, getting into the knockout round is their aim, and that would feel like a successful season for them, regardless of what happens in that stage.

There are some good teams in the Europa League this season, and with more expected to join after the end of the Champions League group stage, the battle to win this competition is going to be a strong one. Winning all six of their group games will certainly send out a message from Chelsea to the rest of the teams left in the competition, and those who are going to drop down from the Champions League. Maurizio Sarri has shown a liking for European competitions in the past, and he looks like going a long way with this Chelsea team this season.

Sarri Lifts Chelsea in First Season in Charge

Anyone who has seen Chelsea play this season, whether you are a fan or not, you will have been impressed by them. Last season they struggled and ended up outside of the top four after a very poor campaign. However, Maurizio Sarri has brought stability to the team, and already started to turn things around at the club, despite this being his first season and joining at a difficult time.

Chelsea are expected to finish inside the top four on a regular basis, although the Premier League is tough and six clubs are expected to take the top four spots, someone has to miss out. Last year it was The Blues, but right now this season they are in the top four and they come into this Europa League game on the back of a fantastic result against Manchester City. Chelsea beat the reigning Premier League champions, and if you needed another reminder that they were back, this game was certainly it.

Sarri joined the club at an incredibly tough time and has he struggled after his move to Stamford Bridge then he would have had plenty of excuses. Joining when the club had disappointed and fell out of the top four was always going to be tough on him, but then on top of that he joined during the summer of a World Cup, which added further problems for him.

Many of his star players were on World Cup duty with their countries, and not at the training ground building a relationship with Sarri and more importantly, learning his system. He came into Chelsea and wanted them to play football on the ground, passing out from the back and allowing his creative players the freedom they need to be successful. That was installed, but few players had the weeks they needed to learn how to play under Sarri, but that didn’t stop them from having a good start.

Despite having little time together, the players adopted Sarri’s style and beliefs and that has played a huge part in their early success. They still haven’t had too much time together on the training field to concentrate on learning, with international breaks, European games and their Premier League campaign all taking centre stage. When you put this together, don’t be surprised to see Chelsea improve further as this season continues, and what could be the most exciting part of the Sarri appointment is not what happens this season, but what happens next season when he finally has time to bring players in, and get his system 100% installed into the club.

If there is one thing that would cement Sarri’s place as the man to lead Chelsea for the next few years then it would be a trophy, and the Europa League could be his best chance of doing that. He understands and appreciates the competition, and I genuinely think that Chelsea have a chance of winning this, they have the talent in the squad and a system that is working for them. He won’t prioritise the competition over the Premier League just yet, but as they go through the knockout round and they move closer to the final, that could just be something he does, and I don’t think Chelsea fans would mind that too much.

MOL Vidi vs Chelsea Betting Tips

Chelsea have nothing to play for here other than pride as they are already through to the knockout round of this competition. They will want to maintain their winning record though I think, and they are by far the superior team here, even if they decide to leave a few of their best players at home and play some squad players.

This is a competition that Chelsea can go very close in, and they look to have a great chance of winning their final game before moving onto the knockout round and progressing far in that. Maurizio Sarri is the kind of boss who wants to do well in Europe and he knows that a trophy in his first season would be a fantastic achievement, and something that would give him a lot of job security in London.

I am backing a Chelsea win here, they are not going to to bring their full squad to this game, and they don’t need the points for anything other than pride. However, this is a club that is going places right now, and a club in with a genuine chance of winning the Europa League. After a fantastic victory over current Premier League champions Manchester City at the weekend, confidence will by sky high in the camp, and I think they are going to pick up another victory here.

I am backing Chelsea for the win against MOL Vidi, to give them a perfect six wins out of six in the Europa League group stage, and send a message to their rivals that they are in this competition to win it.

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