Ending their two and a half 12 months absence from Europe’s greatest events, Chelsea journey to Bayern Munich in curious standing. Few would rank them alongside their hosts within the inside circle of Champions League contenders, however Enzo Maresca’s facet won’t be able to border this season as a studying train. They might be younger, however as stadium announcers can be telling Stamford Bridge for the subsequent 4 years, they’re champions of the world. Ought to that not include a level of expectation?
In spite of everything, in lifting that title, they obliterated the Champions League holders. The three-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain was undoubtedly the best hour of Maresca’s tenure, certainly of the complete post-Roman Abramovich period. Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have requested a fanbase inculcated on rapid success to take the good distance spherical. MetLife could possibly be an indication of endurance rewarded. Or it could possibly be a freak sport on the finish of an exhausting season, a match the place Chelsea began brilliantly and half an hour in PSG concluded that they’d achieved sufficient in 2024-25.
In spite of everything, scrub that sensible closing from the document, and what did west London’s most interesting obtain of their month stateside? They comfortably beat U.S. and Tunisian opposition, nearly received the higher of Brazilian opposition two instances out of three and overcame Benfica in additional time. None of that’s of a mode with the group who smashed previous PSG, nor does it scream Champions League contender.
Given the squad overhaul that Chelsea conduct on a biennial foundation, it feels there are valuable few information factors to evaluate how this group holds up in opposition to Europe’s elite. It is not just like the Convention League provided a lot past the spectacle of nine-figure squads displaying Armenia’s second-best group what’s what.
Six video games in opposition to Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester Metropolis final season introduced a win and a draw, and that sole victory was when the Reds have been coasting by their title celebrations. Once more, although, just like the PSG sport it occurred and it was extraordinarily spectacular, Enzo Fernandez firing his facet into an early ascendancy from which they managed proceedings even with out dominating possession. That confirmed some progress from the group who received out in entrance in opposition to Metropolis in January and appeared to don’t have any sense of what to do with their lead. Throughout six video games in opposition to the highest three final season, Chelsea produced 8.84 anticipated targets (xG) and gave up 8.52. Outcomes won’t have gone their approach however possibly there was an opportunity to get extra in these video games.
Perhaps appears to be the working phrase round Chelsea proper now. Perhaps they’ve improved their attacking starters in swapping in Estevao and Joao Pedro for Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson, the latter more likely to be on the bench behind Harry Kane when Bayern Munich welcome the Blues to the Allianz Area. Their first 4 league video games have you ever considering that possibly they’d be in a worse place however for some very favorable VAR calls or that possibly a group with a plus-one xG distinction per sport might push fairly excessive in what may be an underwhelming title race.
What is definite is that Chelsea did hit that peak in New York/New Jersey, flying out of the traps with such power that they shunted PSG off their axis. Take that normal of efficiency and ship it all through the league part and maybe the world champions can be within the combine so as to add extra continental honors to their trophy cupboard.
The best way to watch Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea, odds
- Date: Wednesday, Sep. 17 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Area — Munich, Germany
- Reside stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Bayern Munich -154; Draw +320; Chelsea +350
Doable lineups
Bayern Munich: Manuel Neuer; Konrad Laimer, Dayot Upamecano, Jonathan Tah, Josip Stanisic; Joshua Kimmich, Aleksandar Pavlovic; Michael Olise, Serge Gnabry, Luis Diaz; Harry Kane
Chelsea: Robert Sanchez; Reece James, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella; Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo; Estevao, Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto; Joao Pedro
