Chelsea looks to have found their groove in the last couple of weeks as they take on Rennes in matchday three of the UEFA Champions League. After two matches in the competition, Chelsea top Group E with four points, ahead of Europa League holders Sevilla on goal difference.
We’ve seen improved showings from Chelsea recently after the summer of spending that occurred in West London.
A 4-0 victory away to Krasnodar scored Chelsea their first win in the competition this season which was followed by Chelsea’s most impressive win of the season in a 3-0 victory away to Burnley.
It was an exciting performance from the Blues who were treated to an impressive performance and first Premier League goal from Hakim Ziyech as well as goals from Timo Werner and Kurt Zouma.
They take on a Rennes side who sit third in Ligue 1 after an impressive start to the season where they’ve lost just once.
They’ve failed to make a similar impact in the Champions League, in what is their first time competing in the group stages of the competition as they sit bottom of Group E with one draw and one loss from their first two group games.
How Chelsea Has Kept the Sheets Clean
After conceding nine goals in their first five league games, Chelsea has earned two clean sheets in a row and three in all competitions. They’ve also yet to concede a goal in the Champions League.
Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard was asked about how his group is faring after an improvement in the defense.
“I think in the group we’re happy, Seville was a tough game at home, and I think both teams were happy with the result, and then we went and got a good result in Russia.
“So, there’s still a lot of work to do to make sure we don’t get complacent at this point because we know that if Rennes come and get a result at our place it changes the face of the table.
“So, we must stay on top of ourselves, and the three recent clean sheets have been great.
“It was obviously something we were looking at and wanting to improve from last season.
“We analysed the reasons why we weren’t as good as we wanted to be, so we’ve seen some progression in that, but that has to remain a work in progress, we can’t come off that.
“The concentration and focus in the team has been great, and it needs to stay that way.”
Chelsea Odds vs. Rennes
Chelsea can go one step closer to knockout stage qualification with a win and a 3-0 win is what I think they’ll get courtesy of goals from Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Sportsbooks odds on a home Chelsea win open at -350. Odds on Rennes getting their first group stage win in the Champions League open at +900. Odds on a draw between the two sides open at +475.
