Chelsea vs Zenit St. Petersburg
Chelsea will kick off their Champions League title defence when they host Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg at Stamford Bridge this midweek.
St. Petersburg will be the site of this season’s final, and the Champions League 2021 odds have Chelsea among the favourites to win it all again.
The Blues have certainly begun the new season in brilliant form and will be keen to claim a quick three points in Group H, which also features Juventus and Malmo.
Talking Points
Chelsea continuing where they left off
Chelsea made an incredible mid-season transformation under Thomas Tuchel last season, which culminated in them winning the Champions League once again. And the Blues have continued that fine form to start the new season with three wins in their first four Premier League matches.
They beat Aston Villa 3-0 at Stamford Bridge over the weekend to put them tied with Manchester United at the top of the table. Romelu Lukaku continued his impressive start to the season as he bagged a brace, while midfielder Mateo Kovacic also starred with a goal and an assist.
Tuchel made significant changes to his side as newcomer Saul Niguez, Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, and Callum Hudson-Odoi all got their first starts of the season. Although, those changes led to quite a disjointed defensive performance in the first half as the Blues conceded several chances which Villa failed to capitalise upon.
Star midfielder N’Golo Kante did not play due to the ankle injury he suffered in the draw with Liverpool and looks doubtful to feature against Zenit. Christian Pulisic also missed out after getting a knock during the international break.
But Chelsea’s squad is overflowing with depth and quality and should be able to cope just fine in their absence. The likes of Mason Mount, Jorginho, and captain Cesar Azpilicueta are all expected to return to the side against Zenit after getting a rest over the weekend.
Kai Havertz, who made Champions League 2021 highlights by scoring the winning goal in the final against Manchester City, has played in all four Premier League matches thus far and also looks likely to keep his place up front.
Zenit scoring goals for fun
Zenit St. Petersburg are in similarly fine form to start the Russian Premier League. The reigning Russian champions are currently top of the table after going unbeaten in their first seven games (five wins, two draws).
They picked up a 3-1 home win over the weekend against FK Akhmat as the Brazilian duo of Wendel and Malcom – who helped Brazil win the gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics this summer – were both on the scoresheet.
Zenit also signed another gold medal-winning Brazilian in Claudinho this summer to add to their wealth of attacking weapons, which includes Aleksandr Erokhin and Sandar Azmoun – five goals apiece in their first seven games – and veteran striker Artem Dzyuba, Russia’s top scorer last season.
Zenit coach Sergei Semak prefers to play with an adventurous 4-4-2 formation and puts as many of his playmakers on the pitch at the same time.
But it remains to be seen whether he will dare to play such a bold formation at Stamford Bridge and risk having their defence – led by captain Dejan Lovren – exposed against Chelsea’s dangerous attack.
History
This will be the first time that Chelsea and Zenit will cross paths in the Champions League or any UEFA competition for that matter.
Although, Chelsea have come across several other Russian clubs in the Champions League. The Blues boast an impressive record of six wins, one draw, and one loss in eight matches, with 19 goals scored and six conceded.
They faced one such Russian side, Krasnodar, in the group stage en route to the title last season. They crushed Krasnodar 4-0 in Russia and drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. Although, that was in the last match of the group stage and Chelsea had already qualified for the knockout round.
As for Zenit, they were also in last season’s Champions League. However, they finished dead-last in their group with just one point and five defeats.
Betting Tip
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Chelsea vs Zenit St. Petersburg | Chelsea Asian Handicap -1.75 @ 1.87 |
| September 15, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have reigning champions Chelsea installed as the biggest favourites of Matchday 1. The Blues are priced at 1.20 to pick up the win at Stamford Bridge, while Zenit are astronomical 12.50 underdogs. Meanwhile, a draw is at 6.40.
Chelsea have recorded back-to-back 3-0 wins at Stamford Bridge, and a similar scoreline against Zenit is certainly a distinct possibility given Zenit’s attacking style.
Look for Chelsea to make relatively short work of the Russian champions as they roll to another comfortable home win.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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