Are Chelsea on Course to Defend Their Champions League Crown?

Chelsea went into the 2020/21 Champions League final as the underdogs against Manchester City, however, they were able to defeat their domestic rivals to win the trophy for the second time. Thomas Tuchel’s side have made an excellent start to their new campaign in Europe and the Premier League. The German tactician is in his first full season with the club, and they look on course for more silverware.

Chelsea have won four of their opening five games in their Champions League group this season and have already booked their spot in the last 16. They emerged as 4-0 winners against Juventus at Stamford Bridge and that scoreline proved exactly how dominant they can be.

The defending champions are currently priced at +700 odds in the outright football betting markets for the Champions League trophy this season. As it stands, they have four teams ahead of them in that outright market: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Liverpool.

Tuchel’s Side Proving Difficult to Break Down

In the opening 12 Premier League games this season, Chelsea have conceded just four goals. They have been very strong at the back, starting with Edouard Mendy between the sticks. The Senegal international has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world over the last 12 months.

In addition, the likes of Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, and Trevoh Chalobah have formed a great partnership at the back and consistently deliver excellent performances for their side. They are then helped by N’Golo Kante and Jorginho, who typically preside in front of them.

Performances are consistent across campaigns. After all, it’s not just in the Premier League that Chelsea have been impressive at the back: they have conceded only one goal in the Champions League so far in the 2021/2022 campaign, a goal came in Turin against Juventus. If Chelsea continues to keep picking up clean sheets, they are going to be a tough side to beat this season. 

Manchester City May Prove Biggest Threat Once Again

It may not only be in the Premier League that Chelsea end up in a battle with Manchester City for silverware, but they could also be their biggest rivals in the Champions League once again. City have also made a strong start to their Champions League campaign, managing to top their group, which included titans such as PSG.

Pep Guardiola’s side will be desperate to steal the crown this season for numerous reasons, but perhaps most importantly, Guardiola is running out of chances to win the Champions League with Manchester City. He was successful as manager twice with Barcelona and the Spaniard has indicated he will leave the soccer club when his contract expires in 2023, so realistically, he may only have two more chances to win the premier European competition with the Manchester club.

Chelsea and Manchester City have already met once this season and the conclusion was that City ended up coming out on top 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. The two teams are set to meet again in January, but it would not be a surprise if they came across each other in the latter stages of the Champions League.

The 2022 Champions League final takes place in St Petersburg on the 28th May. Chelsea look to have a great chance of booking their place for that fixture in Russia.