Chelsea v Red Bull Salzburg predicted XIs: Team news as Ferdinand ponders reason for Tuchel departure
Chelsea will be hoping they can get their first Champions League win of the season when they face Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday at 8pm (UK time).
The Blues were shocked in a 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb last time out, a result which ultimately cost Thomas Tuchel his job – though there were other factors. Red Bull Salzburg, meanwhile, earned a 1-1 draw with AC Milan in matchweek one and will be hoping for a similar result this week.
Chelsea v Red Bull Salzburg betting tips from Squawka Bet
18+ only. Please gamble responsibly. For more information, visit begambleaware.org. All odds and offers in this article are valid at time of publication.
Chelsea team news vs Red Bull Salzburg: Who will start in goal?
- Outs: N’Golo Kante
- Doubts: None
N’Golo Kante remains out for Chelsea and won’t be back until at least next month, giving Graham Potter the same squad that Tuchel had before his departure.
With similar playing styles, we may see Potter name a similar XI to Tuchel’s last Chelsea team, perhaps with a few tweaks here and there. Against Dinamo Zagreb, Kepa Arrizabalaga started in goal ahead of Edouard Mendy, with the latter having struggled for form this season.
Once again that spot is a point of contention, with some believing Arrizabalaga may be picked as he is better with the ball at his feet than Mendy. And former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand went as far as suggesting Tuchel’s initial decision to stick with Mendy over Arrizabalaga may have played a role in his relationship with Todd Boehly becoming strained.
“There are a lot of wild opinions being said behind the scenes with formations and individual players that the new ownership want out of the team,” he said on his FIVE YouTube channel .
“I think Mendy would have been one of them in terms of kicking the ball.
“I don’t know if an owner should even be talking about that, the manager is there to deal with that. You employ people that are professionals in that area. It will be interesting to see if they have that involvement with Potter.
“I think it’s a clear understanding of football. It has to be. It’s very different in American sports teams. I don’t know any other business that allows someone at the helm to spend that money and then let someone else run it. I hope it works out for him, I really do.”
READ MORE: How to live stream Chelsea vs Red Bull Salzburg
Predicted Chelsea XI vs Red Bull Salzburg:
- Kepa; Fofana, Koulibaly, Cucurella; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Sterling, Havertz; Aubameyang (3-4-2-1).
Red Bull Salzburg team news vs Chelsea
- Outs: Maximilian Wober, Sekou Koita, Mamady Diambou, Oumar Solet, Luka Sucic, Samson Tijani, Kamil Paitowski, Justin Omoregie, Oumar Diakite, Bryan Okoh
- Doubts: None
Salzburg already had an extensive injury list but it was added to last week as Oumar Solet had to come off in the 1-1 draw with AC Milan just before half-time with a hamstring injury. The French centre-back subsequently missed the 3-0 win over SV Ried at the weekend and isn’t expected back for at least a few weeks.
Solet was replaced by Bernardo against Milan and again in the win over Ried, so the Brazilian defender is likely to start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Fernando and Noah Okafor should return to the attack after being rotated out against Ried.
Predicted Red Bull Salzburg XI vs Chelsea:
- Kohn; Dedic, Bernardo, Pavlovic, Ulmer; Kjaergaard, Seiwald, Capaldo; Kameri; Okafor, Fernando (4-3-1-2).
