Chelsea come into their opening Champions League match of the campaign as favourites to beat hosts Dinamo Zagreb.
Thomas Tuchel’s Blue won the competition in 2021, and although they have made a faltering start to the season, they were buoyed by a comeback victory over London rivals West Ham on the weekend.
Dinamo Zagreb are the reigning Croatian champions but have never qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League and, on paper, are Chelsea’s easiest opponents in a group also containing AC Milan and RB Salzburg.
But Chelsea must contain the threat of striker Josip Drmic, who made the switch from Norwich to Zagreb this summer having scored 25 goals last season while on loan at league rivals Rijeka.
Here is everything you need to know about the Champions League match.
When is Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea?
The match kicks off at 5.45pm BST on Tuesday 6 September.
How to watch
The game will be broadcast live in the UK on BTSport’s TV channels. Subscribers can watch online via the BT Sport app and website.
Team news
It remains to be seen whether Edouard Mendy will recover in time from the controversial collision with Jarrod Bowen which led to West Ham’s late equaliser being ruled out. “He was in a lot of pain, and we have to see,” Tuchel said after the game.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is training wearing a mask after his jaw was broken during a burglary at his Barcelona home last week, and has travelled with the squad as he waits for his Chelsea debut. Fellow new recruit Denis Zakaria is still awaiting a work permit. Thiago Silva has been left at home to rest, and N’Golo Kante is recovering from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to feature.
Predicted Chelsea line-up
Tuchel may rotate some of his key players here but he will want to build on the momentum of the win over West Ham and kickstart Chelsea’s season, so expect a strong side with the aim of getting three points on the board.
Kepa; Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Sterling, Havertz, Mount.
Odds
via oddschecker
Dinamo Zagreb 6/1
Draw 4/1
Chelsea 1/2
Prediction
Chelsea will play a strong team looking for the win and should get just that in Croatia, albeit against a good side who have won seven of their opening eight league games and thrashed Bodo-Glimt 4-1 in Zagreb in qualifying for the Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb 1-2 Chelsea.
