@ZAPunter provides his betting tips for the Uefa Champions League clash between Chelsea and Valencia which takes place on Tuesday 17th September
CHELSEA VS VALENCIA, TUESDAY @ 21:00
Chelsea begins their Champions League campaign on Tuesday night when they welcome Valencia to Stamford Bridge. Contrasting fortunes of these two teams coming into this game after Chelsea’s convincing 5-2 victory against Wolves @ Molineux, while Valencia lost by the same scoreline to Barcelona at the Camp Nou. This will be Lampard’s first European game for Chelsea and for new Valencia manager Celades as well. Both managers have belief in their younger players, with Lampard bringing through Chelsea academy graduates and Celades spending most of his coaching career developing younger talent. Chelsea has been improving every single game this season and it’s great to see the younger lads getting a chance, where Valencia has internal problems after they sacked Marcelino who was a favourite amongst the players.
CHELSEA:
While Chelsea begins their European campaign far from the finished article, the Blues can at least have some confidence after putting together a four-match unbeaten run in the Premier League. The demolition of Wolves this weekend was special for Chelsea fans as Abraham score a hat-trick and Mount delivered another eye catching performance. There are still a lot of doubts about the defence, which have conceded 13 goals in 6 games, but at the end of the day it’s the results that matter. Injuries will once again be a problem for Lampard heading into the game with Emerson, Kante and Rudiger all likely to miss out. Chelsea conceded their 2 goals once Zouma came on the field and Alonso isn’t the best defensively either. With the Liverpool match at the weekend, don’t expect Lampard to risk players that are 50/50.
VALENCIA:
It was a humbling start for Celades as the new Valencia manager and he will need to work hard to win over Valencia players who are not happy about the sacking of their former manager. Valencia showed some signs of the football they want to play and it can actually be compared to that of Chelsea, outscore your opponent! Valencia will see this game as a bounce back opportunity against a Chelsea team they will get enough chances against. Valencia doesn’t have any major concerns going into this weekend, but Celades might decide to sacrifice a forward to challenge Chelsea in the midfield, most likely it will be Kondogbia for Gameiro. Valencia wouldn’t have had a lot of time to work after the Barcelona game and all they can hope for is a bounce back from the players.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS:
Chelsea: 4-3-3
Arrizabalaga,
Azpilicueta, Tomori, Zouma, Alonso,
Jorginho, Kovacic, Barkley,
Pulisic, Abraham, Mount.
Valencia: 4-3-3
Cillessen,
Wass, Garay, Paulista, Garay,
Coquelin, Kondogbia, Parejo,
Torres, Rodrigo, Guedes
PREDICTION:
We can never guarantee anything in betting, but goals should be at the forefront here. Even though both managers will need to work on defence, this won’t happen overnight and goals will be the best form of defence for both teams. Chelsea’s speed will cause a lot of problems for Valencia and with the young guys playing without fear going forward, I expect Chelsea to score 2+ goals. Valencia will be looking to expose a very suspect Chelsea defence, especially with them likely to miss Rudiger and Emerson. I really like the over 2.5 goals here, especially at the current price, which I expect to come in before kick-off. Entertainment is expected!
BETTING: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.80 @ BetOlimp
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
@ZAPunter
