After their embarrassing failure to progress past the Champions League group stages this season, Chelsea, the current European champions, dropped into the oft-derided Europa League.
Led by interim coach Rafa Benitez, the Blues advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League and currently enjoy a 2-1 lead over Swiss side Basel going into tonight’s home leg at Stamford Bridge.
This will be the 79th time that a team from the English league are figuring in a UEFA club competition semi-final.
This is a remarkable feat considering English clubs were also banned from European competitions for six years following the Heysel tragedy in 1986.
Before, Chelsea played six semi-finals in the Champions League, four in the Cup Winners’ Cup and once in the Fairs Cup.
European semi-finals involving clubs from England
| 1955-58 | Birmingham City-Barcelona | 1-2 | FC |
| 1956-57 | Manchester United-Real Madrid | 3-5 | EC |
| 1957-58 | Manchester United-Milan | 2-5 | EC |
| 1958-60 | Birmingham-Union St Gilloise | 8-4 | FC |
| 1960-61 | Wolves-Rangers | 1-3 | CWC |
| 1960-61 | Birmingham-Inter | 4-2 | FC |
| 1960-61 | Tottenham-Benfica | 3-4 | EC |
| 1962-63 | Tottenham-OFK Belgrade | 5-2 | CWC |
| 1964-65 | Liverpool-Inter | 3-4 | EC |
| 1964-65 | West Ham-Real Zaragoza | 3-2 | CWC |
| 1964-65 | Manchester United-Ferencvaros | 1-2 | FC |
| 1965-66 | Man. United-Partizan Belgrade | 1-2 | EC |
| 1965-66 | Liverpool-Celtic | 2-1 | CWC |
| 1965-66 | West Ham-Borussia Dortmund | 2-5 | CWC |
| 1965-66 | Leeds United-Real Zaragoza | 1-3 | FC |
| 1965-66 | Chelsea-Barcelona | 0-5 | FC |
| 1966-67 | Leeds United-Kilmarnock | 4-2 | FC |
| 1967-68 | Manchester United-Real Madrid | 4-3 | EC |
| 1967-68 | Leeds United-Dundee | 2-1 | FC |
| 1968-69 | Manchester United-Milan | 1-2 | EC |
| 1968-69 | Newcastle United-Rangers | 2-0 | FC |
| 1969-70 | Leeds United-Celtic | 1-2 | EC |
| 1969-70 | Manchester City-Schalke 04 | 5-2 | CWC |
| 1969-70 | Arsenal-Ajax | 3-1 | FC |
| 1970-71 | Chelsea-Manchester City | 2-0 | CWC |
| 1970-71 | Leeds United-Liverpool | 1-0 | FC |
| 1970-71 | Liverpool-Leeds United | 0-1 | FC |
| 1971-72 | Tottenham Hotspur-Milan | 3-2 | UC |
| 1971-72 | Wolves-Ferencvaros | 4-3 | UC |
| 1972-73 | Derby County-Juventus | 1-3 | EC |
| 1972-73 | Leeds United-Hajduk Split | 1-0 | CWC |
| 1972-73 | Liverpool*-Tottenham Hotspur | 2-2* | UC |
| 1973-74 | Tottenham Hotspur-Lok. Leipzig | 4-1 | UC |
| 1974-75 | Leeds United-Barcelona | 3-1 | EC |
| 1975-76 | West Ham-Eintracht Frankfurt | 4-3 | CWC |
| 1975-76 | Liverpool-Barcelona | 2-1 | UC |
| 1976-77 | Liverpool-FC Zurich | 6-1 | EC |
| 1977-78 | Liverpool-Bor. M’gladbach | 4-2 | EC |
| 1978-79 | Nottingham Forest-Cologne | 4-3 | EC |
| 1979-80 | Nottingham Forest-Ajax | 2-1 | EC |
| 1980-81 | Ipswich Town-Cologne | 2-0 | UC |
| 1981-82 | Aston Villa-Anderlecht | 1-0 | EC |
| 1981-82 | Tottenham Hotspur-Barcelona | 1-2 | CWC |
| 1983-84 | Liverpool-Dinamo Bucharest | 3-1 | EC |
| 1983-84 | Manchester United-Juventus | 2-3 | CWC |
| 1983-84 | Nottingham Forest-Anderlecht | 2-3 | UC |
| 1983-84 | Tottenham*-Hajduk Split | 2-2 | UC |
| 1984-85 | Liverpool-Panathinaikos | 5-0 | EC |
| 1984-85 | Everton-Bayern Munich | 3-1 | CWC |
| 1990-91 | Man. United-Legia Warsaw | 4-2 | CWC |
| 1993-94 | Arsenal-Paris St Germain | 1-0 | CWC |
| 1994-95 | Arsenal-Sampdoria | 3-3 | CWC |
| 1994-95 | Chelsea-Real Zaragoza | 3-4 | CWC |
| 1996-97 | Man. United-Borussia Dortmund | 0-2 | CHL |
| 1996-97 | Liverpool-Paris St Germain | 2-3 | CWC |
| 1997-98 | Chelsea-Vicenza | 3-2 | CWC |
| 1998-99 | Manchester United-Juventus | 4-3 | CHL |
| 1998-99 | Chelsea-Real Mallorca | 1-2 | CWC |
| 1999-00 | Arsenal-Lens | 3-2 | UC |
| 1999-00 | Leeds United-Galatasaray | 2-4 | UC |
| 2000-01 | Leeds-Valencia | 0-3 | CL |
| 2000-01 | Liverpool-Barcelona | 1-0 | UC |
| 2001-02 | Man. United-Bayer Leverkusen* | 3-3 | CL |
| 2003-04 | Chelsea-Monaco | 3-5 | CL |
| 2003-04 | Newcastle-Marseille | 0-2 | UC |
| 2004-05 | Liverpool-Chelsea | 1-0 | CL |
| 2005-06 | Arsenal-Villarreal | 1-0 | CL |
| 2005-06 | Middlesbrough-Steaua Bucharest | 4-2 | UC |
| 2006-07 | Manchester United-Milan | 3-5 | CL |
| 2006-07 | Chelsea-Liverpool | 1-4p | CL |
| 2007-08 | Liverpool-Chelsea | 4-3 | CL |
| 2007-08 | Manchester United-Barcelona | 1-0 | CL |
| 2008-09 | Arsenal-Manchester United | 1-4 | CL |
| 2008-09 | Chelsea*-Barcelona | 1-1 | CL |
| 2009-10 | Fulham-Hamburg | 2-1 | EL |
| 2009-10 | Liverpool-Atletico Madrid* | 2-2* | EL |
| 2010-11 | Man. United-Schalke 04 | 6-1 | CL |
| 2011-12 | Chelsea-Barcelona | 3-2 | CL |
* Through on the away goals rule.