Date: Tuesday 14th September, 2021
Time: 8:00 pm
Stadium Stamford Bridge
Referee Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
Goal Scorer:
Team News
Chelsea
Chelsea will start their Champions League defence without American winger Christian Pulisic, while there remain doubts over influential midfielder N'Golo Kante. The Frenchman was forced off midway through last month's game at Liverpool with an ankle injury and has yet to return, while Pulisic is expected to stay sidelined for a few more days with an ankle knock of his own.
Defensive lynchpin Thiago Silva is available, though, after a FIFA-imposed suspension was overturned last week, and he could start in a back three for the home side.
Meanwhile, after a rare rest at the weekend, Jorginho should be joined in midfield by Mateo Kovacic, although new signing Saul Niguez is also a contender despite a difficult debut. Just days after scoring his first league goals at Stamford Bridge, the irrepressible Romelu Lukaku leads from the front.
Chelsea form (all competitions): DWWWDW
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Havertz, Lukaku, Mount
St. Petersburg
Long linked with a move to England, Zenit's Sardar Azmoun - with 17 goals, top scorer in the 2019-20 Russian Premier League - will start in a probable front two for the visitors. After upping his tally to 19 last term, the Iran international ended the campaign just one goal shy of his imposing strike partner Artem Dzyuba - recently dropped by Russia.
Sergei Semak's side will travel without midfielder Magomed Ozdoyev, who injured knee ligaments eight minutes into their opening league fixture in late July and has not featured since. There are also concerns about the fitness of centre-back Dmitri Chistyakov, whose ankle injury is set to keep him out too.
Like Thiago Silva, former Barcelona winger Malcom and his teammate Claudinho were initially ruled out of the game after the Brazilian FA requested FIFA to impose bans on those who failed to report for international duty. However, on Friday evening they were given the all-clear and should now start.
Zenit St Petersburg form (all competitions): WWDDWW
Zenit St Petersburg possible starting lineup:
Kritsyuk; Sutormin, Lovren, Rakitskiy, Santos; Erokhin, Kuzyaev, Claudinho, Malcom; Dzyuba, Azmoun
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Zenit St Petersburg
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