THE EUROPA LEAGUE returns on Thursday night as Chelsea host Hungarian outfit Vidi at Stamford Bridge on matchday two. Gaurav Chaddah (@Gchaddahjourno) shares his betting thoughts.
Chelsea v Vidi | Thursday 4th October 2018, 20:00 | BT Sport
Chelsea begin this game at extremely short odds against their Hungarian visitors and it is difficult to see anything but a second win from as many games for Maurizio Sarri’s men in the Europa League group stages.
The Blues began life in the Europa League with a 1-0 away win against POAK, whilst Vidi lost 2-0 at home to BATE Borisov and the visitors appear to be the weakest team in the pool.
Surprisingly, Sarri named a fairly strong side for the opening game, with the only notable absentee being Eden Hazard. Chelsea then dropped points against West Ham three days later and that, combined with the fact this seems a straight forward assignment at home, may prompt the boss to change things this time round.
The Italian did hint in his press conference that there would be rotation and also suggested there would be game-time for youngsters such as Ruban Loftus Cheek and Callum Hudson Odoi.
Regardless of who lines up, Vidi would appear to be up against it at Stamford Bridge. They are in decent shape domestically, having won their last three games, but this is a big step up in class and it would seem like they are a fair way off the pace at this level.
Chelsea find themselves in the Europa League after finishing fifth last season and miss out on playing Champions League football for the second time in three seasons. The Blues dropped from the Champions League to the competition during the 2012/13 season and went on to lift the trophy and you’d expect the West London outfit to progress far again this season.
Blues to walkover Hungarian minnows
This should be very straightforward for the Blues and it has been rather tricky to find an attractive angle in this game with the odds on offer so short.
Under Sarri, Chelsea have been more expansive than ever, particularly at home and I can see this becoming a bit of a rout for the Blues.
I think the 2/1 with Betfair is a big price for Chelsea on the -3 handicap, regardless of the line-up they may play, as I expect the hosts to dispatch Vidi with ease.
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Chelsea v Vidi – Chelsea -3 handicap (2/1 Betfair)
