Chelsea have literally gone from worst to first in the UEFA Champions League group E standings, a testament to all that Graham Potter has done since he took over the club from Thomas Tuchel. Still in the midst of the “new manager bounce,” the Blues are on a nice run of form right now and they are closing in on booking passage to UCL knockout round.
Barring total collapse, they should easily find themselves into the round of 16, and the next opportunity for points in continental competition comes Tuesday night when they visit RB Salzburg.
Chelsea vs RB Salzburg FYIs
Kick: Tue. Oct. 25, 5:45pm, Red Bull Arena, Salzburg
Competition: UCL Group E, Matchday 5 of 6
Chelsea Team News: go here
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Google Result Probability: Chelsea 55% RB Salzburg 21% Draw 24%
UCL Form: Chelsea WWDL RB Salzburg DWDD
UCL Group Standings: Chelsea: 1st, 7 pts RB Salzburg 2nd, 6 pts
We know Christian Pulisic isn’t really getting his chances, despite the goal involvements efficiency stats being in his favor, but we’re going to go out on a limb and pick him in our starting XI prediction anyway. We’re also going to go with Hakim Ziyech, who is almost never selected, here and that just shows you how outside the box we’re thinking right now when it comes to this match.
Yes, we’re going bananas over here in this preview story.
Chelsea Starting XI Prediction at RB Salzburg (Champions League)
Kepa; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Silva, Chilwell; Gallagher, Jorginho, Ziyech; Mount, Pulisic, Sterling
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.