Chelsea vs RB Salzburg – Preview, H2H, Line-ups, Prediction | UCL 2022-23

Mason Mount of Chelsea against Norwich
Mason Mount of Chelsea against Norwich

Chelsea will begin life under Graham Potter this Wednesday when they welcome Austrian Bundesliga side RB Leipzig to Stamford Bridge. 

Venue: Stamford Bridge (London)

Key Statistics

Chelsea have lost only six of their last 31 UCL matches (W19, D6). 

The hosts have only lost one of their previous 20 home UCL group stage games played at Stamford Bridge (W13, D6).

They have won just two of their last six games in all competitions (D1, L3).

The Blues have kept just one clean sheet in seven games this season.

RB Salzburg have lost their last five matches against English opposition, failing to score on four occasions.

The visitors are unbeaten in their last eight games (W7, D1).

They have kept six clean sheets in their last eight games.

Head to head

This is the first official meeting between both sides. 

Latest performances in all competitions

Chelsea: L-W-L-W-L

Salzburg: W-D-W-W-W 

Chelsea 

Chelsea will look to avoid losing their opening two matches of a UCL campaign for the very first time when they welcome Salzburg to London on Wednesday.

The Blues who have been in the headlines of the footballing world recently due to their sacking of Champions-League-winning coach Thomas Tuchel last week, opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with a 1-0 loss away to Dinamo Zagreb last week.

The result brought about the end of Tuchel’s 100-game tenure at the club with Graham Potter has now been thrust into the hot seat, to help stir Chelsea in the direction that new owner Todd Boehly intends for it to go.

But as bright as the former Brighton coach is, he has no experience managing in Europe’s elite club competition. And so, this game might have come too early for the Englishman who will be desperate to hit the ground running and avoid the pressure that can come with managing a club like Chelsea 

Where he lacks experience, he could be covered by a boisterous Stamford Bridge crowd who have helped cheer their side to only one loss in their last 20 UCL group stage games played at home (W13, D6).

Possible Chelsea starting line-up

Edouard Mendy; Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella; Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Christian Pulisic; Mason Mount; Raheem Sterling; Kai Havertz.

Injured: N’Golo Kante

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: None 

RB Salzburg 

Despite losing a crop of their best players this summer, RB Salzburg have retained the bulk of their quality and entertaining brand of football.

The Austrian Bundesliga side on paper have the third-best squad in Group E behind AC Milan and Chelsea who are expected to win this group. However, they showed that such assumptions could be wrong when they held Serie A champions AC Milan to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the group stage. 

That result may have surprised many in Europe, but not those in Salzburg though, who have seen their team lose only one of their 11 matches (W9, D1) while keeping eight clean sheets.

And so, they will travel to London in a confident mood even though they do not always do well in their European travels given that they have won just two of their last 14 away European matches (D2, L10). 

They failed to win a UCL away game last season (D1, L3), the first campaign in which they’ve failed to do so and have lost their last five matches against English opposition, failing to score on four occasions.

Possible RB Salzburg starting line-up

Philipp Koehn; Amar Dedic, Oumar Solet, Maximilian Wober, Andreas Ulmer; Nicolas Capaldo, Nicolas Seiwald, Maurits Kjaergaard; Noah Okafor, Benjamin Sesko, Fernando.

Injured: Luka Šulić, Mamady Diambou, I. Van der, Sekou Koita, Sampson Tejano, Kamil Piatkowski, Justin Omoregie

Doubtful: None 

Suspended: None 

Prediction

Chelsea 1-1 Salzburg