Valencia vs Chelsea LIVE: Result and reaction from Champions League fixture tonight
Follow the latest updates from the all-important meeting at the Mestalla
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Chelsea have drawn 2-2 against Valencia in their Champions League Group H match in Spain.
The Blues started brightly but could not make their early pressure count, and paid the price when Carlos Soler put Valencia in front shortly before half-time.
But the outstanding Mateo Kovacic replied almost immediately with his first Chelsea goal to level the score going into the break.
Frank Lampard suffered a blow with an injury to Tammy Abraham, who seemed in pain clutching his ribs and was replaced by Michy Batshuayi, but it didn't slow Chelsea's momentum and they took the lead shortly after half-time via Chrstian Pulisic.
Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga then saved a penalty from the captain Dani Parejo, yet Valencia had the final say when Daniel Wass's overhit cross looped over the head of the stranded Kepa and in off the far post in a bizarre moment of fortune.
Can I live stream it?
The match will be available to stream via the BT Sport app. You can also watch it on BT Sport 3 which will be broadcasting coverage.
When is it?
Chelsea vs Valencia kicks off at 5.55pm on Wednesday 27 November at the Mestalla Stadium.
Predicted line-ups:
Valencia XI: Cillessen; Wass, Garay, Gabriel, Gaya; Torres, Parejo, Kondogbia, Cheryshev; Gomez, Rodrigo.
Chelsea XI: Kepa; Azpilicueta, Zouma, Tomori, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Mount; Willian, Abraham, Pulisic.
Hello and welcome along to our live coverage of Valencia vs Chelsea. Here's our reporter Jack Rathborn from Spain ahead of this huge meeting at the Mestalla:
Here's Tammy Abraham ahead of the game, courtesy of the good people at PA:
Tammy Abraham has admitted Chelsea's pivotal Champions League at Valencia is the biggest game of his fledgling career.
The 22-year-old striker admitted playing in Europe's top-tier club competition is "a dream come true", but insisted he now has to treat it like his day job in order to thrive.
Abraham revealed he scours Youtube for clips of the world's top strikers to steal elements of their play in a bid to reach his peak, ahead of Wednesday's vital Mestalla showdown.
Chelsea can secure safe passage to the knockout stages with a victory in Spain, but Valencia can do exactly the same - leaving Abraham well aware the pressure is on.
Asked if this is the biggest game of his career, Abraham replied: "I would say so, definitely, I would say so.
"It will be the biggest test of our nerves so far. We know coming here isn't going to be easy. But we've got to stick together and leave it all out there.
"Before the first game against Valencia, Mason (Mount), Fikayo (Tomori) and I were warming up together and it didn't feel real at that point, that we were all in the Champions League together.
"Hearing the Champions League music in the background; we were all in the Championship the season before. So it is a dream come true for us.
"I guess you have to take major strides. In my spare time I go on Youtube and watch all the best strikers in the world play in this competition, stealing their ideas and adding it to my game.
"I watch so many. Harry Kane, Aguero, Firmino, they are Premier League strikers obviously, but then there's guys like Lewandowski and all sorts of players who have played in this competition before."
Chelsea travelled to Spain without injured midfielder Ross Barkley, with boss Frank Lampard admitting the England star showed a "lack of professionalism" when pictured shirtless in a nightclub during the international break.
Barkley is battling back from ankle trouble, and while he still has his manager's backing, Lampard was quick to challenge the 25-year-old to shape up.
"There are two separate issues, one is the headlines this week, Ross knows how I felt about the first headline," said Lampard.
"I backed him then and I still back him now. But he showed a moment of a lack of professionalism as far as I'm concerned.
"It's not something that I want to be a pure dictator about and come down hard on, because I also understand all my players are humans and have lives. So he just has to work his way back in, in terms of the fitness thing, and train well.
"I like Ross, he's certainly one of my players. And he needs now to show all his reactions on the pitch."
The Blues have arrived at Mestalla, team news will be coming in soon:
Group H is one of the closest groups in the Champions League with Ajax, Chelsea and Valencia all on seven points.
Tonight's game is a 'must not lose one' according to Chelsea boss Frank Lampard. The Blues lost their opening Champions League fixture 1-0 to Valenica this season and a victory tonight will see them qualify.
Speaking of the last game Lampard said:
"We were the better team but the lesson was, if you sleep for one moment then you get punished,.
"It's a big test but we do not mind that."
In the last match between the sides, at Stamford Bridge, Valencia came away with a 1-0 win after Ross Barkley missed a penalty denying Chelsea a draw.
Despite that Chelsea have scored three goals or more in six of the past 12 European matches and netted four times against Ajax in a spectacular 4-4 draw in their previous match in the competition.
Team news - Chelsea
Frank Lampard makes two changes to the side that lined up against Manchester City at the weekend.
Andreas Christensen and Reece James both come into the defence with Emerson and Fikayo Tomori dropping to the bench.
Team news - Valencia
Starting XI: Cillessen, Costa, Paulista, Soler, Parejo, Gaya, Wass, Rodrigo, Ferran, Gomez, Garay
Valencia have former West Ham target Maxi Gomez partnering ex-Bolton loanee Rodrigo up top.
Dainel Wass moves into his favourite position in central midfield with Jaume Domenech coming into the defence.
With a final group game against Lille to come Chelsea must avoid defeat against Valencia tonight to keep their hopes of qualification to the knockout stages alive.
Three points would be enough to see them qualify, with a draw also acceptable to keep them in the competition.
But how do we see the game going? Take a look:
Albert Celades says that Chelsea are 'one of the best [sides] in Europe'.
The Blues have won nine of their last 13 games in all competitions and haven't lost in nine away games in European matches.
Both teams are level on seven points with the winners of tonight's game going straight through to the knockout stages.
"It's a great opportunity for us to try to reach the next round. But even if we don't win we'll still have a good chance," said Celades
"But we will go out to win the game first of all and then see what happens next. We are a big club and we have to have that type of mentality."
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