Chelsea vs Zenit Predictions and Betting Tips

---

---

The Stamford Bridge is the stage for this highly-anticipated encounter in the UEFA Champions League as Chelsea and Zenit St. Petersburg go at each other in the group stages. Read on for our expert tips and predictions.

This would be the first-ever meeting between both sides and with the holders keen on getting the ground running as early as they can, it's going to be a tough game for the Russian opposition.

Defending in search of a fruitful start

Tuchel's Chelsea got the better of both Madrid clubs and Porto before beating their English counterparts Manchester City in the final at Wembley. This would be their second UEFA Champions League title following their success in Munich back in 2012. Much is expected of this Chelsea team this time around and with the addition of the likes of Lukaku and Saul Niguez to an already talented squad, they would be looking to defend their crown and, in the same vein, knock the Cityzens off their perch in the English Premier League. Lukaku's brace last time out at home to Crystal Palace propelled Chelsea to a comfortable 3-0 victory, putting them joint-top with Manchester United.

Zenit St. Petersburg, just like their opponents, haven't put any foot wrong domestically. They currently lead the way in the Russian Premier Liga picking up 17 points from a possible 21. However, things aren't usually as sweet in the UEFA Champions League for the Russian giants having finished at the bottom of their group in the 2019/2020 season as well as the 2020/2021 campaign. In their most recent game, they got the better of Akhmat Grozny with the aid of a 3-1 victory stretching their unbeaten run to 17 matches- excluding friendlies-. Would we see them use this momentum to cause an upset this Tuesday ?

Chelsea vs Zenit Team News

Chelsea possible starting XI:

Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger; James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Chilwell; Mount, Havertz, Lukaku

Zenit possible starting XI:

Kritsyuk; Sutormin, Lovren, Rakitskiy, Santos; Erokhin, Kuzyaev, Claudinho, Malcom; Dzyuba, Azmoun

Chelsea vs Zenit Prediction: 3-0

The Blues of London's head into this game with a much higher football pedigree compared to their opponents and with Belgian striker Lukaku on top form as of late, we expect a Chelsea clean sheet victory with the Belgian scoring one or two goals.