Two sides sitting on one point following the opening round of Champions League fixtures will lock horns on Wednesday as Chelsea make the long journey to Russia to take on FC Krasnodar.
The hosts played out a 1-1 draw with Rennes last week, whereas Chelsea’s opener with Sevilla at Stamford Bridge finished goalless. Krasnodar’s inaugural game in the Champions League group stages saw the Russian Premier League outfit take on early Ligue 1 high-flyers Rennes.
Murad Musaev‘s men gave Les Rouge et Noir a good run for their money and ultimately walked away with a point to show from their opening match, with Serhou Guirassy‘s penalty cancelled out by Cristian Ramirez‘s equaliser just before the hour mark at the Roazhon Park.
However, an injury-plagued Krasnodar did not see their fortunes improve in the league as they were put to the sword on their own turf by Spartak Moscow 3-1 at the weekend, with Musaev’s side now sitting eighth in the table despite notching up 22 goals already this season – a tally that only Zenit Saint Petersburg can better.
Of course, Krasnodar are certainly not expected to qualify for the knockout stages in a group which includes Europa League winners Sevilla and Wednesday’s opponents Chelsea, with the Blues determined to return to winning ways after a run of three draws in all competitions.
Chelsea’s defence has come under heavy scrutiny under former Blues midfielder Frank Lampard, so two clean sheets from their last two outings may come as a slight relief to the Stamford Bridge faithful as the fixture schedule becomes even more unforgiving.
However, the big spenders saw their expensive attack nullified by Manchester United as the two Premier League giants played out a goalless draw at the weekend, and had it not been for a spirited performance from Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, United could have very well taken all three points at Old Trafford.
Blues fans would have certainly been expecting more from their potent attack given the money that was spent over the summer on marquee signings such as Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, but Chelsea have a prime opportunity to rectify their mistakes against a depleted Krasnodar side before they take on another out-of-sorts side in Burnley on Halloween.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
The post Chelsea travel away to face FC Krasnodar appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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