Match Betting (1x2)
Chelsea have had an interesting start to the 2019/20 season, with Frank Lampard installed as something of a rookie boss at Stamford Bridge and the 40-year-old has seen plenty of positive and negative things during his short spell at the club.
The positive things are that he’s blooding young players, with the likes of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham stepping up in style and they’re both likely to be involved when they clash with a Valencia side who finished fourth in La Liga last season.
Chelsea are 10/11 with Ladbrokes to claim a victory over Los Che and it would certainly be a positive way to begin in this competition, with Ajax and Lille the other teams involved in this group.
It’s possible that the Blues could be vulnerable against their Spanish opponents considering that they’ve shipped four goals at Old Trafford, while they’ve also conceded twice against Norwich and Sheffield United.
William Hill have 10/3 that the Spanish side leave Stamford Bridge with a maximum haul which would put Chelsea in a difficult situation when it comes to qualification for the last sixteen of the competition.
Conversely, you can back the draw at odds of 13/5 with Coral. It’s plausible that this clash will end all square and it’s worth bearing in mind that it was level when Chelsea met Liverpool in the Super Cup final.
First Goalscorer
Tammy Abraham was regarded by many as a player unable to deliver when it comes to the Premier League, although the England international now has four goals in two top flight games after bagging a brace against Norwich and Sheffield United.
It’s possible that he might struggle to make the same sort of impact against top-class opponents, although the former Aston Villa and Swansea forward is trading at 5/1 with Coral to score the opening goal of the game.
Perhaps Lampard will decide to persist with Olivier Giroud in this position instead, with the Frenchman having a wealth of experience when it comes to European competition and he’s available at 6/1 with Unibet to break the deadlock.
Mount has shown himself to be a lively operator in the heart of the Chelsea midfield and the former Derby player is a 17/2 poke to break the deadlock, while Christian Pulisic is 8/1 with Ladbrokes and he’s been getting into some excellent scoring positions.
As for Valencia, Daniel Parejo recently bagged a brace as part of a 2-0 victory over Mallorca and will be confident of getting into scoring positions against a Chelsea defence which hasn’t looked watertight thus far.
Parejo is a 10/1 chance to score first and he has recently been playing for the Spain national team, while Frenchman Kevin Gameiro is available at a shorter 15/2 and he was off the mark in a 1-1 draw against Sociedad.
Both Teams to Score
Punters are starting to rely on Chelsea to provide a Both Teams to Score scenario. After losing 4-0 at Old Trafford, we’ve seen the Blues scoring goals and conceding plenty too, including a 1-1 against Leicester, a 2-3 against Norwich, a 2-2 against Sheffield United and the same outcome in a Super Cup clash against Chelsea.
We know that Frank Lampard’s side will be on the front foot for this encounter and punters can get 10/11 with Coral that we see Chelsea find the net along with their opponents, although it’s been noticeable that Valencia’s games to date haven’t been that high-scoring.
Los Che began the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Sociedad before a 1-0 reverse away to Celta Vigo. They then beat Mallorca 2-0 in front of their own supporters so there has only been one game from three where we’ve had BTTS.
With this in mind, perhaps the “No” selection on the Both Teams to Score market could be of interest instead. For Valencia, a draw wouldn’t be a bad outcome and we might therefore get a situation where at least one team doesn’t find the net. That is trading at odds of 10/11.
Over / Under Goals
We’re faced with an interesting situation when it comes to this market. On the one hand, Valencia’s three matches played have resulted in two goals or less being scored.
On the other, Chelsea have been involved in several high-scoring affairs and it was only their 1-1 draw with Leicester which saw Under 2.5 Goals cop. However, those that watched the game will know that it was a minor miracle that only two goals were scored during a very open match.
Therefore, the bookies aren’t sure how to price this market and they slightly favour Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 8/11 with Paddy Power.
This is understandable when you consider that this is the opening Champions League group game and both sides will want to avoid suffering a defeat considering the other stern challenges that await them.
The opening exchanges could be particularly difficult in terms of created chances although there’s still that nagging feeling that the home side don’t really know how to play a defensive game, while Lampard probably sold the idea of having an attack-minded approach in order to get the job.
Correct Score
Chelsea have drawn both of their home Premier League matches so far, with the London side experiencing a 1-1 draw against Leicester before a 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.
Another 1-1 scoreline can be backed at 11/2 with Paddy Power, while Coral go 16/1 about this clash ending 2-2 and you could make a profit backing both outcomes as long as one of them was settled as a winner.
A 1-0 triumph in favour of Chelsea is a 13/2 chance although we prefer the 2-1 winning home scoreline at 7/1 with Unibet if you think that the Blues are able to come out on top in this clash.