But before we look ahead to the derby between the London clubs, we will first look back at the Chelsea team’s journey in this year’s competition, as well as their history in Europe, and the familiar faces of their opposition.

The west London side have secured a place in their second cup final of the 2018/19 season after a controversial first season under Maurizio Sarri and the anticipation is growing leading up to this high profile match, especially in the capital.

The group stages went by without any major shocks for the Blues, who won five out of their six games, drawing their last fixture in a tight game against Hungarian opposition MOL Fehérvár FC, more commonly known as Vidi FC. Having already secured their place in the knockout stages, the game carried no real weight, beyond the retention of their first place finish in the group, and it was evident that Sarri had used this game to allow some of the lesser-experienced youngsters to get a European game under their belt, and rightly so.

The round of 16 came and went with little trouble for Sarri’s side, flying high past opponents Dynamo Kiev with a 3-0 victory at home in the first leg, with fan favourite Callum Hudson Odoi scoring his third consecutive goal at home in the Europa League and Willian Borges de Silva replicating his free-kick from last season on his 100th European appearance. The second leg brought a 5-0 thumping in the Ukrainian capital; Olivier Giroud’s hattrick and another Hudson-Odoi masterclass ensuring the club romped to victory and into the next round.

The Chelsea squad found themselves in the Czech capital of Prague for the first leg of the quarterfinals against the local side Slavia Praha. It was a tight game with plenty of chances where both keepers were put to the test often, but Marcos Alonso managed to get onto the end of a brilliantly weighted Willian cross to give the Chelsea side a vital away goal to take back to West London. The second leg was a rollercoaster experience for both sides. Though they looked somewhat uncomfortable, the Premier league team fought their way to a 4-3 win at Stamford Bridge to solidify their place in the semi-finals.

Only German side Eintracht stood between Chelsea and a place in the Europa League final. The first of the two games was indeed in Germany. Eintracht started the game on the front foot, with Danny da Costa’s teasing cross cut out by Kepa Arrizabalaga. They continued to probe the Chelsea defence until another dangerous ball in was finally met by the head of Luka Jovic, who intelligently guided the ball into the far corner and out of the Chelsea keeper’s reach. The tie was saved by a cracking finish from Pedro on the stroke of half-time to level the scoring. The second half was twice as eventful as the first but both teams failed to score, meaning that there was all to play for in the second leg in London.

The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was anticipatory for the entertaining evening to come. After many wayward attempts, another young starling in the form of Ruben Loftus-Cheek came forward to break the deadlock with a neat right foot finish after a ball in behind played by none other than golden boy Eden Hazard. The score stayed at 1-0 for a further 20 minutes before Chelsea’s centre-back pairing were both caught unawares by a splitting pass fizzed between the two of them, leaving Jovic again with a lot to do. He calmly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to complete the fine passage of play that preceded the goal.

With the game tied through the entire 90 minutes, and extra time not being enough to break the deadlock either, every English team’s nightmare when playing a German side had now come to fruition; penalties. After a few firm finishes and excellent saves by Kepa, Chelsea star Hazard stepped up to take the final penalty, and, characteristically, the Belgian coolly slotted it home to send his club through.

Although their journey to final has undoubtedly not been their most difficult European journey, Chelsea’s opposition in Azerbaijan are far from unfamiliar and likely to put up a great battle. Chelsea are unbeaten against Arsenal in all European competitions, with their last meeting being in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2003/04, during Arsenal’s notable ‘Invincibles’ season.

The Blue’s record against the North London side has been inconsistent at best in recent years, with each time winning one game against each other in the Premier League this season. The teams seem evenly matched which means there is no room for mistakes this Wednesday.

A glance back at Chelsea’s recent history in Europe puts them in an ideal position for this final. The club won the trophy in the 2012/13 season, the year after their fairytale Champions League win against Bayern Munich. They are the current record holders for the longest unbeaten run in Europa League history, going 17 games straight without a loss. Can they extend this to 18 by triumphing over Arsenal in Baku?

To add to their turmoil, Chelsea are without defensive midfield rock N’golo Kante, who is nursing a knee injury. Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi who have both played exceptionally well in this competition thus far this season are both absent through injury. German defender Antonio Rudiger is also recovering from a knee injury and will join the others in watching from the sidelines.

Following on from their poor return after the Christmas break to the Premier League, the club were in doubt to even be in their current position. After securing the third place spot and ensuring their participation in the Champions League next season against all odds, Chelsea look to deny their London rivals the opportunity to join them. With Hazard at the helm in what looks to be his last game for the club, it all boils down to Baku this Wednesday evening. Not a game to be missed.

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A roller-coaster season and a non-existent assist tally has Chelsea fans questioning Jorginho’s position in the team as does Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri’s reluctance to alter his starting line up in accordance to the midfielder’s apparent poor form. Jorginho has started all 35 Premier League games for the west London club this season, in spite of his mediocre record, but has his first season in the Premier League been as bad as his doubters make it out to be?

Supporters of the midfielder have claimed that fans should have patience and that the role of the modern defensive midfielder is misunderstood in today’s game. It is all too simple to equate a players worth on the number of goals they are directly involved in, but the truth is their contribution runs much deeper than putting the ball in the back of the net or producing the final ball into the striker.

His captain, Cesar Azpilicueta was quick to come to his defence in the face of media questioning, telling BT Sport in a recent interview that “Jorginho is important for us to control the game”. This point was further supported by fellow midfield star Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who also highlighted Jorginho’s ability to decide the tempo of the game. Even former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho praised him, telling Bein Sport: “For me Jorginho is the best midfielder in Europe”, a testament to his underrated skill.

This disregard of the fine details in the art of midfield play is a long running issue in the English game. It seems we often fail to grasp the idea of the depth of play and the skills a player can possess outside of the fundamentals that are passing and finishing. Ex-Manchester United and England midfielder Michael Carrick is a prime example of a defensive midfield player with the ability to influence the game without directly creating goals and, because of this indirect impact, his input was downplayed and he was not held in the same regard as other goal-scoring or tough-tackling midfield legends.

Kings of the defensive midfield game, including the likes of Sergio Busquets and fellow Italian international Andrea Pirlo, conduct the game in a manner that runs deeper than a goal or an assist. Their composure and decisiveness allow them to be the orchestrators of any game they are involved in. Though it is clear there is work to be done for Jorginho before he is awarded the same respect as the aforementioned legends, there is still some credit due for the role he plays in the Chelsea squad.

Furthermore, on multiple occasions, when his manager comes under fire, the anger and frustration is diverted from Sarri to Jorginho, most likely because it is easier to blame a player in his position for a lack of input in the game than the manager on the sidelines. It was clear upon coming to the club that the Italian manager intended to implement his signature style of play, bringing the midfielder with him as the poster boy for the tactic coined “Sarri ball” by fans of the club. Alas, the pedestal he was placed on as the golden boy who has come to turn Chelsea football club’s defensive playing style on its head is bound to come with backlash if and when he is not performing to the standard expected of him. He has become the scapegoat for all issues in the squad, but it is an argument of perspective in any case.

In contrast to the focus on the flaws in his attacking play, critics have ridiculed the 27-year-old’s defensive presence also. Claims are being thrown around that Sarri should play star defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante ahead of Jorginho in the slightly deeper position out of the midfield three, amongst speculation that the number five does not fulfil his defensive duties, or at least not as well as the Frenchman.

Kante did previously play in the number six role under previous boss Antonio Conte, though experience has shown that the French player struggles when faced with an overloaded midfield. This begs the question of what options Sarri has left, with their transfer ban appeal having been rejected this week. Experts have suggested an alteration in the current 4-3-3 formation, with two deeper players, opposed to the one deeper player they use now, namely Jorginho.

Those who know and enjoy the game will understand that the former Napoli midfielder is more than a sidewards-passing fraud; he can be the big difference in important games. However, with the pressure being placed on him to perform, as well as the lack of a clear, consistent target man to provide for in number nine role, it is difficult for him to live up to the expectations of fans. Time and time again, he has produced excellent service, which is often left wanting by the insufficient strikeforce the club possesses.

His debut season at the English club has been rocky at best, but it is necessary for us to look at his situation holistically before making immediate judgements on his ability. The man came from Napoli, where he had the likes of Marek Hamsik alongside him, with incredible finishing and prowess, and Dries Mertens, with the flexibility to alternate positions and roles mid-game, alleviating the pressure from Jorginho’s shoulders. Adjusting to the Premier League can take time, especially when the style of play, as well as the personnel, are so different. It is vital to afford players this time.

In any case, it has become a waiting game to see if the Brazilian-born midfielder can truly fulfil his potential and if Chelsea fans will ever reach a general consensus on their emotions towards him. Nevertheless, his team and his manager are standing behind him and, from what they have said, he will continue to try and prove his worth both to the supporters and to the critics.

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