The Blues are desperate for Champions League success against Maccabi Tel-Aviv after a poor start to their Premier League campaign, and the Israeli champions hope to prove themselves on the European stage.
Chelsea's approach
Despite Chelsea's Premier League start being their worst since 1998, the reigning champions are expected to bring in a victory over the Israeli side.
Chelsea suffered a disappointing exit to Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 16 last year and are hoping to have more success this time around. However, a terrible Premier League start - including three losses, one draw, and one win in five games - has cast doubt over their ability to build on last year's efforts and has left the players with little confidence.
Chelsea will be missing Thibaut Courtois and Radamel Falcao due to injury and most likely Pedro as well due to a minor knock, leaving Asmir Begovic in goal again. Chelsea's new signing Papy Djilobodji was also not included in the Blues' Champions League squad in favour of Kenedy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Bertrand Traore.
Abdul Rahman Baba is included in the squad and could be in contention to have his Chelsea debut against Maccabi, and it will be a refreshing change for the Blues to have a new, young defender in the back given their defensive woes.
Additionally, Jose Mourinho has stated that he will be trying new things and giving a chance to players who have not been playing much, so Chelsea's lineup on Wednesday will be very different than what viewers are used to.
It's certainly not an assured victory, but if the Blues can find their rhythm early on and come out attacking, there's no reason they shouldn't win.
Maccabi's approach
The Israeli side brought in victories against Hibernians, Viktoria Plzen, and Basel to reach the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in 11 years. Despite the world believing the odds are stacked against them, Maccabi manager Slavisa Jokanovic seems confident his side can put up a fight.
Jokanovic, formerly a Chelsea player from 2000 to 2002, is familiar with the club from his time playing for them and his time managing in the Premier League. Furthermore, he admitted that his team want to "hurt" and "damage" Chelsea in their midweek clash. A victory against the Premier League champions would give Maccabi the world's attention, and their match will certainly be no easy victory for the Blues.
Jokanovic is not the only former Blue involved, as defender Tal Ben Haim has also spent a season at Stamford Bridge. He and a winger by the same name are expected to start, as well as Eran Zahavi, who can play anywhere in the front from attacking central midfielder to striker to out on the wings. He was the leading goal-scorer in the qualifying stage of the Champions League with seven goals in five games.
Additionally, Eliazer Dasa will be missing from the team due to suspension.
Managers' comments
Mourinho assured those watching that the Champions League is completely different from the Premier League on Tuesday.
"I am happy that in this moment the players don't have too much time to think about what is happening and a different competition is welcome when we are not behind having less points than the opponents - we are on zero like Maccabi, FC Porto and Dynamo Kiev.
"It is a good challenge," the Portuguese continued, "I cannot be here jumping or laughing because people may think I am not sad or frustrated so I cannot laugh too much, but the reality is I face this situation smiling inside because it is a good challenge."
Concerning Djilobodji's absence from the squad, Mourinho added, "If he is in the Champions League squad, Traore or Kenedy are not in the list. Traore and Kenedy are young players working with us from day one and we believe it can be a fantastic opportunity if they can play a few minutes in the Champions League."
Jokanovic, on the other hand, exhibited much more confidence with his remarks.
"I really can’t take anything away from the match [against Kiryat Shemona, a 1-1 draw] as the two games will be totally different. Tonight we played in the Israeli league and we have an upcoming match in the Champions League, we must be ready for one of the best teams in the world.
"Is there really ever a nice time to go to Stamford Bridge and take on Chelsea? I am happy because we have this chance to play against Chelsea and test ourselves in the biggest competition in club football. We need to be intelligent and pick our moments. I trust my players. We have surprised people already in this competition - so why not do that again?"
Significance
Mourinho knows how important a victory on Wednesday is, with many believing that his job at Chelsea may hang in the balance. A victory over Maccabi could keep him at Stamford Bridge, give the team a much-needed morale boost to play a very important match against their London rivals Arsenal on Saturday, and give the players confidence for their European campaign.
However, Jokanovic is looking to build on Maccabi's victories in the qualifying stages and start off his side's Champions League campaign with a win. The team seems confident, but a win or even a draw against the Premier League champions might seem to be a sign to the Israelis that they're not in over their heads among Europe's best.