Chelsea v Salzburg – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Chelsea face Salzburg in the on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge. The match represents Graham Potter’s first match in charge after replacing Thomas Tuchel. The Blues are desperate for a win having lost on matchday one and face a Salzburg side who earned a 1-1 draw with AC Milan in their opener.

Chelsea Form

The Blues have lost three of their last five matches and their last three on the road. Thomas Tuchel was sacked after a defeat in the last match, a 1-0 reverse at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League opener. Prior to that, Chelsea had a poor start to the league campaign. They won 1-0 at Everton on the opening day but required a penalty to take the points.

A 2-2 home draw with Tottenham followed having led twice before being thrashed 3-0 away at Leeds. A 2-1 home win with ten men against Leicester saw a low block and strong rearguard action but Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at Southampton (having led 1-0) in their following match. Prior to the defeat in Croatia, they beat West Ham 2-1 at home in a very poor performance which needed some VAR assistance to hold onto the full haul of points.

Chelsea Team News

Graham Potter is without injured N’Golo Kante in midfield as well as Edouard Mendy in goal. Kepa will replace the latter for a second start in a row. Jorginho should be recalled and will likely partner Mateo Kovacic.

Potter’s first-team selection will be interesting, especially in the front line. Raheem Sterling looks nailed-on to play. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will hope to be selected in preference to Kai Havertz and Mason Mount should complete the front three. Marc Cucurella is likely to get the nod having worked with Potter at Brighton.

Chelsea Motivation

Chelsea absolutely have to win this one having lost on matchday one. With three weeks without a match after this, all focus can be poured into this fixture.

A “new manager bounce” could be seen after Tuchel’s dismissal. Expect a good tempo and plenty of possession under new coach Potter.

Salzburg Form

Salzburg have won all six of their matches this season in the Austrian Bundesliga. They have netted 17 goals along the way with just one conceded as they steamroll opponents. Their weekend match saw a 3-0 victory at Ried as much-coveted Benjamin Sesko, Junior Adumu and Noah Okafor netted the goals.

The Austrians progressed from last year’s Champions League group which included Wolfsburg, Sevilla and Lile. They faced Bayern Munich in the round of 16, earning a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg. The return fixture saw them thrashed 7-1 in Bavaria. Their opening fixture of this year’s competition brought a 1-1 home draw with AC Milan having led 1-0.

Salzburg Team News

French centre-back Oumar Solet went off injured in the first half against Milan and missed the weekend match. He remains a doubt against Chelsea. Nicolas Seiwald should be recalled having started the last Champions League match and having been introduced at half-time against Ried.

Forwards Benjamin Sesko and Junior Adumu both scored in the last match but were subs against Milan as Noah Okafor and Fernando led the line. Coach Matthias Jaissle has a good headache to decide who gets the nod in the side’s 4-3-1-2 shape.

Salzburg Motivation

A draw from this match would be a very fine result. Salzburg will be hugely motivated for this match even if their planning has been a bit affected by Chelsea changing coach.

The Austrians got draws against Bayern and Milan in recent times but both were at home. They’re less confident on the road. An attacking outlook is expected and coach Jaissle will have two very good strikers on the bench to change the game.

Key Stats

Chelsea are 7 home matches unbeaten (4W, 3D)

Chelsea have won 5 of their last 6 home CL matches to nil

Salzburg have lost their last 3 away CL matches

Salzburg have scored in 11 of their last 12 away CL matches

Verdict

Potter has never managed a Champions League match before, nor even attended one in-person. He will be desperate to win his first match in charge and Salzburg won’t be easy opponents despite their recent away CL struggles. The Blues should grab a win but you’ll need to be creative to find value when backing them.