Chelsea make the trip to Croatia on Tuesday evening when they face Dinamo Zagreb in their first Champions League game of the season.
Late drama at the death saw Chelsea come from a goal behind to beat London Rivals West Ham United 2-1 in their last outing. Goals from Ben Chiwell and Kai Havertz completed the late comeback for the Blues, whilst Maxwell Cornet was denied an equaliser in the 90th minute after VAR controversially judged Jarrod Bowen to have fouled Edouard Mendy in the build-up.
Now, all attention turns to the Champions League, with Thomas Tuchel's European adventure starting away from home in Croatia. Dinamo Zagreb are yet to lose in their league this season, currently sitting top of their division.
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Tuchel could rotate his squad on Tuesday, with Ben Chilwell expected to start after his stellar performance off the bench against West Ham. N'Golo Kante is ruled out through injury, as is Thiago Silva, whilst deadline day signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria have both been named in the travelling squad, with the latter's work permit being granted.
So, how could Chelsea perform in their first Champions League game of the season? We simulated the clash to try and predict the final score.
Dinamo Zagreb vs Chelsea score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 22 and updated the squads with the latest transfers. Due to FIFA 22 not having the latest kits, both sides lined up in the kits for the 2021/22 season.
We predict that the Croatian side could set up in a 4-5-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Livakovic; Ristovski, Peric, Sutalo, Ljubicic; Spikic, Baturina, Ademi, Ivanusec, Orsic; Petkovic.
We predict that Tuchel's side could set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Fofana, Koulibaly; James, Kovacic, Jorginho, Chilwell; Mount, Havertz; Sterling.
Chelsea were quick off the mark, and Havertz came close to making it 1-0 as he broke through on goal within the first two minutes, but he failed to score. The pressure continued from the Blues, and Raheem Sterling broke the deadlock after five minutes.
Back in the starting XI, Chilwell did well to surge down the left and pull a cross back to Sterling inside the box. The forward's original volley struck the post, but fortunately, the ball fell back to the England international who reacted quickly and prodded home.
The task at hand became a bit easier for Chelsea after 12 minutes, with Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi receiving a red card for a strong challenge on Jorginho. The Blues took control of the game from that point, and Wesley Fofana almost made it 2-0 with 20 minutes to go.
A Chelsea corner pinballed around the box before falling to the feet of Fofana, but the French defender rushed his shot from close range and sent his effort over the bar. Havertz had three one-on-one opportunities in the second half, but the German sent every shot straight at the oncoming 'keeper and failed to find the net as the Blues won 1-0.
FIFA 22 predicted final score: Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 22 predicts that despite taking an early lead and the home side being reduced to 10 men early on, Chelsea could struggle to add to the scoresheet but still claim three points in Croatia. The Blues were solid defensively with Fofana registering the highest rating, but a lacklustre display in front of goal limited the Blues to a 1-0 victory.
What will the score be between Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday? Let us know in the comments!
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