Villas-Boas prepared for another Genk encounter

André Villas-Boas believes Chelsea FC will face a team in transition when the Group E leaders welcome KRC Genk, mid-table in the Eerste Klasse, to Stamford Bridge. The Chelsea manager knows the Belgian champions well, having guided FC Porto to a 7-2 aggregate triumph over them in the UEFA Europa League play-offs last season, but is taking nothing for granted against a side still coming to terms with August's change of coach and a sizable injury list.

Chelsea
Manager André Villas-Boas
Genk have a tremendous amount of injuries, which is unfortunate for them. They are also going through a period of change in many ways. After losing Frank [Vercauteren] they are taking time to get used to Mario [Been]. Not only the departure of Frank, but a few talented players leaving has also made things very difficult for them.

The opportunity is there [to get six points from back-to-back games against Genk]. The group is tight so anything can happen. It's an unpredictable situation we want to fix by winning this game and putting ourselves in a better position. This is a very important game.

Both games [with Porto against Genk last season] were well contested, with chances for each side. We scored early in first game but it was tight and they had opportunities for a different result. They scored early in the second leg but we were lucky and got away with a good result. They were two competitive games.

Weekend result
Saturday: Chelsea 3-1 Everton FC (Sturridge 31, Terry 45+2, Ramires 61; Vellios 81)
Čech; Bosingwa, Ivanović, Terry, Cole; Mikel (Romeu 77), Lampard, Ramires (Malouda 65); Sturridge, Drogba, Mata (Anelka 77)

• John Terry made his 350th league appearance for Chelsea as the Blues extended their winning Premier League run to three matches. They have not kept a clean sheet in seven league games, however, their longest sequence since September 2003.

Team news
Villas-Boas confirmed that Ramires will not face Genk after sustaining a knee injury at the weekend. Michael Essien will be out of action until January after suffering knee ligament damage in pre-season training.

Genk
Coach Mario Been
It's going to be a great game. Whether you are a player or a coach these are nights you train for, that you play for. Genk had a great season last year to reach this competition, did very well against Valencia [drawing 0-0] and had chances to draw with Leverkusen [when they lost 2-0]. We know we'll have to have a really good night to get a good result against Chelsea.

I always expect the best. If we go into it thinking we cannot get anything out of this game then it's better to stay at home. But a Dutchman is always positive and that's something I want to project onto my team; we have to stick together and play, without being afraid of losing. We have to fight, give our all: and then you never know. Anything is possible but it will be difficult, that's for sure for me.

Our fans are really positive, our 12th man. We won't often end up playing Chelsea away so it's a great occasion for them. We hope we can repay them with a result.

Weekend result
Saturday: KSC Lokeren OV 3-1 Genk (De Pauw 41, Gueye 79, Patosi 82; Benteke 10)
Köteles; Ngcongca, Masuero, Tőzsér, Durwael; Buffel (Ndabashinze 74), Vanden Borre, Hyland, De Bruyne (Ogunjimi 82); Vossen (Nwanganga 46), Benteke

• Abel Masuero made his competitive debut at centre-back as Genk suffered their third successive defeat after goalscorer Christian Benteke was sent off on 43 minutes. Benteke's goal was the first Genk have scored in 235 minutes – their worst sequence since April/May 2009.

Team news
Elyaniv Barda returns after domestic suspension but Daniel Pudil (hamstring) and Nadson (ankle) are both doubtful. David Hubert (stomach), Jeroen Simaeys (broken toe) and Torben Joneleit (knee) are all sidelined.

Match fact
All six of Chelsea's previous fixtures against Belgian sides have produced a decisive scoreline and in each case the losing team failed to score.