UEFA Champions League defending Champions Chelsea host Malmo FF at the Stamford Bridge in round three of the competition. Both teams are in Group-H and Chelsea are in the second position with three points and winless Malmo are in the fourth position.
Chelsea won their opening fixture of the campaign against Zenit by a scoreline of 1-0. They were defeated in the second match by Juventus and the scoreline was the same. The Blues are second in the table with three points.
Chelsea have attempted 24 shots in the two matches and took equal amounts of shots in the two matches. Out of these 24 shots, three were on target. The Blues had more possession of the ball in both games. Against Malmo their possession was 63% and against Juventus, it was 69%.
The above viz shows the expected threat rate and the xT creation zones. The creative zones were similar in both matches. Against Juventus, they created more threats from the left and the centre. Mateo Kovačić created the highest threat from passes in both games. His xT rate in the first match was 0.946 and in the previous match, it was 0.844.
Scoring goals is a big concern for the defending champions. The Blues only have 12.5% of the shots on target. They haven’t troubled the opposition keeper and the xG rate is also low. The above viz shows the xT timeline and xG timeline. Despite attempting double chances than Juventus, their xG rate was lower. Romelu Lukaku’s two shots were on target and Ziyech was the other player who had a shot on target.
Romelu Lukaku is the only goalscorer for Chelsea. Cesar Azpilicueta was the assist provider in the match. Mateo Kovačić is the most threatening player with passes and his combined xT from passes in the two games is 1.790.
Malmo FF have struggled this season and the Swedish Champions are at the bottom in the group standings. Malmo is yet to open their goal scoring account and have conceded seven goals in two games. Thiago Silva and Rudiger could return to the lineup after missing the weekend game.
Malmo FF attempted seven shots against Juventus and only hit the target once. In the second game, they showed some improvement and attempted ten shots. The xG rate increased from 0.38 to 0.86 in the two matches. In both matches, four shots were attempted from inside the opposition box.
Malmo FF have played a competitive style of football and have matched their opponents. The only problem is that they have conceded a lot of goals. The passing has also been less effective as very few balls are delivered into the opposition box. Against Zenit, only nine balls were delivered in the box and only one ball reached the opposition 6-yard box.
Chelsea goes into this match as the favourites and will look to score more goals. The Blues will look to overcome their goalscoring struggles and move closer to group leaders Juventus. Malmo FF will look to create more chances and trouble the opposition keeper.
