Chelsea vs RB Salzburg Preview – Prediction, how to watch & potential line-ups

Graham Potter will want to make a winning start to his new Chelsea reign when his side take on Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

The Blues invested heavily in the summer transfer window but failed to make a good start to the 2022-23 season. 

After two losses and a draw, they are currently sixth in the Premier League table. 

The West London side also lost their Champions League match against Dinamo Zagreb and they didn’t waste any time to sack Thomas Tuchel and appoint Potter as the new head coach. 

Mislav Orsic struck an early goal and the Croatian outfit held out to earn a 1-0 victory. 

Meanwhile, the Red Bulls have been completely dominating the Austrian Bundesliga in the last few years, having lifted nine successive league titles. 

Matthias Jaissle’s side have also made an impressive start to the 2022-23 season, winning seven of their eight league matches so far. 

They were most recently in action against Reid at the Keine Sorgen Arena where they fired three goals through Benjamin Sesko, Junior Adamu and Noah Okafor to seal full points in emphatic fashion. 

Match Preview

Chelsea

Chelsea failed to defend their European title last term and were eliminated from the tournament at the quarter-finals stage. Despite losing the second-leg in Spain, eventual winners Real Madrid defeated the Blues 5-4 on aggregate.  

RB Salzburg

Matthias Jaissle’s side made it to the knockouts of the Champions League for the first time last season. However, they suffered a heavy 8-2 aggregate defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Round of 16. 

The Red Bulls will find it very challenging to proceed to the next round this term as their group features AC Milan, Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea.

Team News

Chelsea will be missing N’Golo Kante for the upcoming game as he is currently recovering from a hamstring injury. While the availability of Edouard Mendy is also doubtful as he has a knee issue and will need to undergo a late fitness test. 

On the other hand, RB Salzburg’s Matthias Jaissle will have to deal with plenty of injury woes this week. Maximilian Wober and Oumar Solet are out of contention with a groin and hamstring injury respectively. While Luka Sucic, Samson Tijani and Bryan Okah will also sit out the game as they are at the treatment table.

Chelsea vs RB Salzburg Potential line-ups

Chelsea: Mendy; Fofana, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kovacic, Cucurella; Mount, Havertz, Sterling

RB Salzburg: Kohn; Dedic, Pavlovic, Ulmer, Bernardo; Capaldo, Seiwald, Kjaergaard; Kameri; Sesko, Okafor

How to Watch?

Chelsea vs RB Salzburg, alongside all other Champions League matches this season, is available to watch online via live soccer streams.

Chelsea vs RB Salzburg Prediction

Chelsea had no game at the weekend and so their players have had about a week’s rest. Potter will likely feature his best XI on Wednesday and they will be motivated to win this game under their new manager. The Blues will likely claim an easy victory against RB Salzburg who are currently dealing with several injuries. 

Chelsea 2-0 RB Salzburg