Cesar Azpilicueta, Mason Mount, Hudson Odoi: Latest Chelsea injury news ahead of Lille

Chelsea welcome Lille to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Round of 16 Champions League tie as the Blues look to move one step closer to retaining their European crown.

The Blues have had to watch all their main rivals including Liverpool, Man City and Paris Saint-Germain pick up crucial first leg wins in their respective ties against Inter, Sporting and Real Madrid.

Finally, the wait is over for Thomas Tuchel who now looks for a strong start to a pivotal week in the west London club's season with a Carabao Cup final looming on the weekend against Jurgen Klopp's Reds.

But first, they must defeat a Lille side who have been rather on a downwards spiral domestically since their famous title win last season against old odds in the French top tier.

Since then, the departure of key players and coaching staff has led to a re-shuffle amongst the Ligue 1 club's ranks, and this period of instability has made a big impact with their mid-table position in this term's French league standings a clear indicator.

However, Thomas Tuchel and Edouard Mendy have already reiterated the message of not underestimating any opponent at this stage of the competition when they spoke to the media on Monday.

"When it's the Champions League and this stage of the competition, there are no easy draws. Lille won their group and I think that reflects the performances they've produced in this competition against teams like Sevilla and Salzburg. They've been performing well so it's certainly an easy draw," Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper said.

"Lille are a very good team. They've struggled a bit more this season in the league but it's always difficult to be reigning champions.

"They've done very well in the Champions League and will give