Chelsea vs Zenit: Chelsea begins their title defence on Wednesday when they face Zenit in their Group H opening match of the UEFA Champions League at home.
Match Details:
Teams: Chelsea vs Zenit
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Date: Wednesday 15th September, 2021
Time: 12:30 AM IST
Live Link: https://www.sonyliv.com/
Our defence of the #UCL starts here!
Let’s go! ✊ pic.twitter.com/czDnWOI8Ij
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 14, 2021
Preview
Also read: Chelsea 2020-21: 5 key factors that made Chelsea the UCL Champions 2020-21 and Dominant Blue force
Chelsea looks to begin their title defence is style when they face Zenit at home on Wednesday.
The Blues beat Manchester City 1-0 in the final of the Champions League 2020-21 through Havertz’s first half goal to win their 2nd Champions League title
Tuchel will hope to see his side kickstart their European campaign in the same manner as they finished it last season.
Chelsea head into this after beating Aston Villa 3-0 at home in the Premier League on the weekend.
Lukaku scored a brace while Kovacic got his name on the scoresheet as well to give Chelsea their 3rd victory in 4 league matches.
On the other hand, Zenit qualified for the Champions League after winning the Russian Premier League last season.
This season too they have performed well and are table toppers with 17 points from 7 matches.
The champions are undefeated this season and eye a continuation of good form in the Champions League.
They beat Akhmat 3-1 to register their 5th win of the season with Wendel, Yerokhin and Malcom scoring the crucial goals.
⏱| Wendel, Erokhin und Malcom erzielen die Tore beim Heimsieg in der Gazprom Arena. #ZenitAkhmat 3-1 | #RPL pic.twitter.com/D6LoH1e4he
— FC Zenit auf Deutsch (@fczenit_de) September 11, 2021
Form Guide
Chelsea: WWWDW
Zenit: WDDWW
🔵 European champions Chelsea step up preparations 💪 #UCL pic.twitter.com/hoOhv4Yql3
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 13, 2021
Last Matches of both teams:
Chelsea 3-0 Aston Villa
Zenit 3-1 Akhmat
Where to watch the live stream and broadcast of Chelsea vs Zenit in India?
The match is live streamed on the Sony LIV App or Jio TV while the broadcast is available on the Sony Ten 1/HD.
Team News
Pulisic and Kanté are major doubts for the Blues as they recover from ankle injuries. Meanwhile; Zenit has Ozdoev, Karavaev on the side-liens due to long term injuries.
All the photos from last night’s training session at Stamford Bridge are available now ahead of #CHEZEN in the #UCL
📸 https://t.co/5n9C8mnHEQ pic.twitter.com/0sAm5L0ECG
— FC Zenit in English✨ (@fczenit_en) September 14, 2021
Chelsea possible 11:
Mendy, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rüdiger, James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso, Havertz, Mount and Lukaku
Zenit St. Petersburg possible 11:
Kritsyuk, Santos, Rakitskiy, Chistyakov, Kuzyaev, Wendel, Claudinho, Malcom, Krugovoy, Dzyuba and Yerokhin
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Zenit St. Petersburg
We expect the champions to get off to a flying start as they defend their crown.
They have the striking quality of Lukaku, who scored over the weekend and is in prime form.
Whereas, Zenit’s potential has been visible in recent years and we expect them to put on a good show with their strikers in form as well.
But Chelsea’s potency and quality should help them overcome this challenge.
Players to watch out for: Lukaku, Jorginho, Yerokhin and Dzyuba.
