Chelsea vs. Zenit: Champions League live stream, TV channel, how to watch online, news, odds, time


uefa-champions-thumb-chelsea-v-zenit.jpg

Chelsea begin their defense of the Champions League on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge, hosting Zenit Saint Petersburg in what ought to be a regulation three points for the holders. Thomas Tuchel’s side has begun the new season in impressive form and even when the Blues have not hit their impressive potential peak they still have the quality across the pitch to cruise to wins as emphatic as Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Russian champions Zenit have found strong results of their own in recent weeks but will have the odds firmly stacked against them in west London. Here is how you can watch the game and what you need to know:

Viewing information

  • Date: Tuesday, Sept. 14 | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Stamford Bridge — London
  • TV/Live stream: Paramount+
  • Odds: Chelsea -550; Draw +550; Zenit +1800 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Storylines

Chelsea: Tuchel’s injury list has not abated ahead of today’s game with Christian Pulisic and N’Golo Kante both still unavailable, the latter despite his manager’s hopes to the contrary last week, for the Champions League opener. Still with Saul Niguez having made his debut on Saturday — hardly the best performance of the Atletico Madrid loanee’s career — the central midfield double pivot does not look as light in numbers as it did at the start of the season.

Craving even more coverage of the world’s game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more.

Indeed with Tottenham coming up on Sunday this could be a chance for Tuchel to show off his formidable depth with Ben Chilwell yet to play a minute and Timo Werner looking for further opportunities.

Zenit: If the visiting Russians are to pull off an upset at Stamford Bridge then it may well be their two Brazilians, Malcom and Claudinho, who have to pull something magical out of the hat. The former may be familiar to European viewers from his spells with Barcelona, Roma and Bordeaux but the latter could prove to be a breakout star in the Champions League group stages.

An Olympic gold medalist, Claudinho was top scorer in Brazil’s Serie A in 2020 with 18 goals for Red Bull Bragantino.

Prediction

Chelsea are not going to want to start their title defense with anything less than a statement win. This could be a tough night for the visitors. PICK: Chelsea 3, Zenit 0





Source link