Chelsea vs RB Salzburg: How to watch on TV live stream, team news, lineups & prediction
By Tom Gott
The Graham Potter era gets underway on Wednesday when Chelsea host Red Bull Salzburg at Stamford Bridge.
The new boss has had to wait a little longer than planned for his first outing but will now be focused on his first taste of Champions League action and dragging Chelsea out of the slump into which they had fallen under Thomas Tuchel.
They're the favourites against lovable underdogs Salzburg, but as previous years have proven, you can never rule out an upset from the Austrian giants, who held AC Milan to a 1-1 draw in their opening group game.
Here's all you need to know about this one.
Where are Chelsea vs RB Salzburg playing?
- Location: London, England
- Stadium: Stamford Bridge
- Date: Wednesday 14 September
- Kick-off Time: 20:00 BST / 15:00 EST / 12:00 PST
- VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski (POL)
- Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (SVK)
Where can you watch Chelsea vs RB Salzburg on TV in UK, US, Canada?
- UK: BT Sport 3
- USA: Paramount+
- Canada: DAZN
Where can you watch Chelsea vs RB Salzburg highlights in UK, US, Canada?
- UK: BT Sport YouTube channel
- USA: CBS Sports Golazo YouTube channel
- Canada: DAZN Canada YouTube channel
Chelsea vs RB Salzburg H2H results
- Chelsea: 0 Wins
- RB Salzburg: 0 Wins
- Draws: 0
This will be the first competitive meeting between Chelsea and RB Salzburg.
Current Form (Last Five Games)
- Chelsea: LWLWL
- RB Salzburg: WWWDW
Chelsea team news
There'll be no N'Golo Kante to mark the start of the Potter era as the Frenchman continues to battle with his latest hamstring injury, while the new boss has also confirmed that goalkeeper Edouard Mendy remains out.
Potter's first team selection is obviously a bit of a mystery, but it's safe to expect him to go for something similar to the 3-4-2-1 setup that we saw under Tuchel.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs RB Salzburg
Chelsea Starting 11 (3-4-2-1): Kepa; Fofana, Silva, Cucurella; James, Kovacic, Gallagher, Chilwell; Mount, Sterling, Havertz
Bench: Bettinelli, Sharman-Lowe, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Zakaria, Loftus-Cheek, Ziyech, Pulisic, Broja, Aubameyang
RB Salzburg team news
Salzburg have enough injury issues to go around. Maximilian Wober, Oumar Solet, Kamil Piatkowski, Bryan Okoh, Mamady Diambou, Ousmane Diakite, Samson Tijani, Luka Sucic, Justin Omoregie and Sekou Koita are all unlikely to feature.
The biggest problem area is at centre-back, where 21-year-old Strahinja Pavlovic is the only fit senior option. Former Brighton full-back Bernardo has been filling in.
Teenage sensation Benjamin Sesko should start up top, and Chelsea fans should keep an eye out for young defender Samson Baidoo and midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath, both of whom have been on the Blues' radar in the past.
RB Salzburg predicted lineup vs Chelsea
RB Salzburg Starting 11 (4-3-1-2): Kohn; Dedic, Pavlovic, Bernardo, Ulmer; Capaldo, Seiwald, Kjaergaard; Kameri; Sesko, Okafor
Bench: Mantl, Walke, Baidoo, Van der Brempt, Gourna-Douath, Diarra, Simic, Adamu, Fernando, Bernede, Atiabou, Konate
Chelsea vs RB Salzburg score prediction
Potter's Chelsea are an unknown right now, but they're still heavy favourites heading into this one against a Salzburg side missing half their squad and still adjusting to life without the likes of Karim Adeyemi and Brenden Aaronson.
The boss has had just under a week to work with his new side, and while they might not be at their fluid best, that should be enough time to kick things into gear. The fact the squad is used to a 3-4-2-1 setup should work in his favour.
Restoring the confidence to Chelsea's attackers is a tough task, but we should see enough quality from the Blues here to secure a comfortable victory.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 RB Salzburg