Chelsea made the long trek to St. Petersburg on Tuesday for its final group stage match against Zenit. The Russian outfit has already been eliminated from the competition, but it will look to play for pride and a possible place in the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday. It proved to be a worthy opponent to Thomas Tuchel’s men at Stamford Bridge on matchday one, limiting its host to just one goal on the night. Romelu Lukaku secured the three points for the Blues in that contest and although he’s seldom featured since due to an injury, he could be fit to be in the starting XI once again. The Blues need to match the result of Juventus—at least—if they want to finish atop Group H. If not, they are at risk of taking on some of Europe’s best in the Round of 16.
Nevertheless, the reigning Champions of Europe must not overlook their stubborn Russian foes in matchday six as three points are crucial to their success in the competition.
Here is how The Pride of London team sees the contest playing out:
Kevin Peacock: 0-2 Chelsea
After the weekend’s defeat, normal service is resumed. Let’s face it, West Ham was fortunate to get the win and whilst Tuchel may blame himself for the loss, it was simply one of those things. The Blues have already qualified for the knockout phase of the competition, and group placing is pretty much irrelevant with the quality of teams left. It would be good to see Lukaku start and finish the game, grabbing a couple of goals along the way. Tuchel, however, may think differently.
Olaoluwa Nwobodo: 1-2 Chelsea
Chelsea has nothing to lose in this game, except the top spot in the group, which isn’t that important in the grand scheme of things. Whoever takes to the field will be aware that the Blues are just coming from a defeat and a reaction is necessary. They don’t need their strongest available XI to beat Zenit, and if they do, perhaps they don’t have as much depth as we think the team truly does.
Barrett Rouen: 0-3 Chelsea
I think we’ll all be properly angry we lost to West Ham and go out and play the way Chelsea is supposed to: with power, speed and attention to detail.
Nate Hofmann: 1-2 Chelsea
The Blues don’t need a win per se, but they do need a win. The groups are shaking out in a way that finishing first could lead to a much more favorable draw in the knockout rounds, something that wasn’t necessarily the case last season. Regardless, you play to win, and Chelsea could really use a solid win after a shaky week or so. Unfortunately, I still think this squad is a bit too under duress to knock off anyone comfortably, and Tuchel will presumably look to rotate to keep the few healthy legs he has fresh. A win, but an unconvincing one.
Hugo Amaya: 0-1 Chelsea
Chelsea will focus on its defense rather than attack after letting in three goals at the weekend. Tuchel knows that in order to succeed, the team needs to get back to basics following the West Ham defeat. That means, defend and do not concede. Lukaku will score the only goal of the match late in the first half. While most will see this as a difficult win, it is actually a learning lesson.
Anthony Gatt: 0-2 Chelsea
Leighton September: 2-3 Chelsea
The Blues’ December curse rolls on with a plethora of midfielders on the sidelines. Reliance will likely hold to Saul and Ruben Loftus-Cheek again in midfield, which could sense trouble for Chelsea. In the St. Petersburg snow—albeit a domed arena—this could be an entertaining watch.
Gabe Henderson: 0-2 Chelsea
While many will say this result does not matter, it absolutely does. The difference between first and second place finishers in the Champions League is not usually that significant. However, this year, it’s massive (Paris Saint-Germain aside). The Blues need to finish atop Group H and end this stage of the competition on a high note after a rougher than anticipated run to begin the trophy defense. Tuchel’s heavily rotated XI will come away with a two-goal victory, despite the contest being testy at times throughout the 90-minute tie.
What is your score prediction? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!