Two teams with unbeaten records in their domestic leagues lock horns this week in the Champions League. Chelsea looks to continue their dominance against Zenit St. Peterburg this Tuesday at Stamford Bridge with kickoff at 10 pm.
The Blues begin their title defence this week after edging out Manchester City to lift the trophy. Chelsea comes off an impressive 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. On the other hand, Zenit comes off a 3-1 win over Akhmart Grozny.
When Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard, he admitted making the fiercest team in the Premier League. Almost a year later, things are starting to shape up. This was in full effect, especially with their win over Aston Villa.
New signing Romelu Lukaku showed his clinical prowess while netting a brace. On the other end, Eduoard Mendy continued his heroic saves while keeping his record of nine clean sheets in the Champions League.
Furthermore, Chelsea is currently unbeaten with three wins and a draw in the Premier League. In addition, the side only conceded once. They head into the match as favorites against Russia’s top elite team.
On the other hand, Zenit faces an uphill task in their race for the last 16. The side also faces Italian giants Juventus and Swedish champions Malmo. Head Coach Sergei Semak must put up a show even though the odds remain stacked against him.
Chelsea vs Zenit St. Petersburg Head to Head
Both sides are yet to face each other at any competition, and this marks their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa
- Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
- Arsenal 0-2 Chelsea
- Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace
- Chelsea 1-1 Villarreal
Away
- Zenit st. Petersburg 3-1 Akhmar Grozny
- Zenit 1-0 CSKA Moscow
- FC Ufa 1-1 Zenit
- Lokomotiv Moscow 1-1 Zenit
- Zenit 3-2 FC Krasnodar
Chelsea Team News
Christian Pulisic sets to miss out on the first leg of the competition with a knee injury. In addition, Thomas Tuchel might contend the loss of Ng’olo Kante in midfield. New signing Saul had a terrible debut and is likely to start on the bench in favour of Mateo Kovacic.
Zenit St. Peterburg Team News
A major attacking option available is England-destined superstar Sardar Azmoun. In addition to Sardar, Artem Dzyuba provides a supporting role in the attack this Tuesday.
Prediction and Odds
The Russian outfit provides a test for Tuchel, but the home ground advantage is too much to turn down a win.
- Chelsea Win
- Goals Over 2.5
- Lukaku to Score
