Chelsea vs. Zenit St. Petersburg: preview and betting tips

Chelsea face their first hurdle in the Champions League defence in the form of Zenit St Petersburg. Last year’s Russian Premier League champion would like to reach the knockout stage for the first time in years. What to expect from the match?

The winner of last season’s Champions League is doing well so far at the start of the new league season. After four rounds, he is still unbeaten and has ten points. And it has already played with unpleasant Crystal Palace or half-time at Anfield shorthanded.

Even Zenit is happy with the new season so far. The defence is in his hands, with seventeen points he is first. So far it has lost only four points and has a two-point lead on second-placed Dynamo Moscow.

He quickly got into good form after the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, scoring against Arsenal, and added two more shots against Aston Villa. Edouard Mendy is also doing well and Thiago Silva shone against Aston Villa.

Zenit is backed by two goal scoring strikers, Aleksandr Erokhin and Sardar Azmoun have combined for ten goals, each hitting five times. Central midfielder Daler Kuzyayev has one goal and two assists.

Chelsea has no shortage of goals, scoring at least twice in six of their last eight games. Zenit, on the other hand, relies on a solid defense, having not scored more than one goal in four games.

Given Chelsea’s good form, I recommend a bet on them to win by two or more goals.