Antonio Conte will be on over 100 hours without sleep when the whistle blows for kick-off. Will his Chelsea side allow him to get some rest Wednesday night with a win over Roma?
Chelsea opened their Champions League campaign at home last month with a 6-0 win. The Blues will likely not repeat the left side of that feat. But if the defence can get their act together to shut down Edin Dzeko, they might help Thibaut Courtois keep the clean sheet.
A win will put Chelsea in a commanding position in their Champions League group, as well as reverse the recent slump. Relieving the pressure on Conte and the players will have a massive effect in the remainder of the month… if they take the three points.
Barrett Rouen: Chelsea 1 – 1 AS Roma. Chelsea are in a terrible bit of form at the moment. The only thing that is going to happen is they will labor through a terrible match against inferior opposition.
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Travis Tyler: 2 – 0. This feels like a turning point match that will be looked back on for some time. A convincing win will be when Conte turns things around this season. Anything else will be when he started to lose his way. The reality will likely come in the middle with an uninspiring win that leaves more questions than answers.
Abhishek Pancholi: 0 – 2. Chelsea will create plenty of chances but fail to take them. Then Roma will score one against the run of play, and another in the dying moments of the game when the Blues are chasing a late equalizer.
Kevin Peacock: 2 – 1. Chelsea shift all their eggs into the Champions League basket, and spring back into life as Roma come to town. Not wishing to lose to the Italians, Antonio Conte fires the team up and they run out winners 2-1. Goals from Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard.
Scott Brant: 2 – 1. One of the few teams with more injuries than the Blues is Roma, with numerous important players out. Alvaro Morata will feature in some capacity, while Eden Hazard scores both goals.
Vishnu Raj: 2 – 1. Defence was very shaky on Saturday. Unless Antonio Conte changes things or his players improve, Chelsea will not keep a clean sheet. Morata’s return will give some identity to Chelsea’s attack alongside Hazard in a 3-5-2 or both Hazard and Pedro in a 3-4-3.
Daniel Mcclue: 2 – 0. Edin Dzeko is in great form for Roma and will be a constant threat to the Blues’ wobbly defence. They hold firm, while down the other end Michy Batshuayi scores a wonderful strike and Davide Zappacosta makes it two in two in Champions League starts.
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