At 1:45 am on December 9th, Beijing time, the final round of Group H of the 2021-2022 UEFA Champions League group stage will start the competition. The Premier League giants Chelsea will challenge the Russian Premier League team Zenit St. Petersburg away.
Confrontation record
In the history of the Champions League, the two sides have only met once, that is, in the first round of the UEFA Champions League group stage this season. Chelsea, who played at home at the time, relied on Lukaku’s goal to win a 1-0 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg. A good start.
Aspect 1: Chelsea are striving for the first place in the group
After the 5 rounds of the group stage, Chelsea and Juventus had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss with 12 points, and both advanced to the knockout round ahead of schedule. At present, the Blues rely on the goal difference advantage to beat the Bianconeri temporarily to top the list. In the last round of the match, Chelsea challenged Zenit St. Petersburg away. As long as they win, they can ensure their first status in the group, thus avoiding a lot of powerful players in the knockout stage. In contrast, Juventus vs. Malmö is a match that is almost unsurprising, but the Bianconeri wants to get the first place in the group, in addition to ensuring that they can successfully win the Swedish powerhouse, they also have to look forward to Chelsea. Invincible.
Aspect 2: Tuchel will adjust the starting lineup
Entering December, Chelsea will usher in the toughest month of the season, and the dense schedule will be the biggest challenge for the Blues. After losing 2-3 to West Ham in the London Derby last weekend, Chelsea has fallen from top to third in the Premier League standings. Not only that, but the copper-walled and iron-clad back line that was once proud of it also exposed its drawbacks. This time the Champions League group stage expedition to Russia, Tuchel needs to adjust the starting lineup. In this regard, he confirmed at the pre-match press conference: “Our players are a bit tired, and there are some injuries. We need to give some players a rest, and more importantly, we need to give some time for the game. Player opportunity.”
Injury report
Zenit St. Petersburg: Krychuk (injury), Gistyakov (suspended)
Chelsea: Kanter (injury missing), Chilville (injury missing), Chaloba (injury missing), Jorginho (injury missing), Kovacic (infected with new crown absent), Havertz (injury suspect) Alonso (suspicious)
First forecast
Zenit St. Petersburg (3-4-2-1): Kozakov/Lovren, Barrios, Rakiski/Sutomin, Kuchyev, Wendell, Santos/Claudini O, Malcolm/Juba
Chelsea (3-4-2-1): Kepa/Aspilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger/Rees-James, Saul, Chick, Odoi/Mount, Zieh He/LukakuReturn to Sohu to see more
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