By Ian S. Palmer
Join Pinnacle Sports NOW to bet on Champions League Soccer!
Reigning English Premier League Champions Chelsea host Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev in an important European Champions League Group G match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, November 4. The two sides met in Kiev two weeks ago with the match ending in a 0-0 draw. Chelsea has been struggling mightily this season and Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho’s job will be on the line sooner or later if the London club continues to lose games. This is just the second time these two teams have met each other in a competitive fixture.
Chelsea vs Dynamo Kiev – Pinnacle Sports Soccer BETTING LINE:
- Pinnacle Sports currently lists Chelsea as the favorites at -104 with Dynamo Kiev +445 and a draw at +444
Chelsea has gotten off to their worst start in England in the past 37 years with just 11 points in their first 11 games in the Premier League and were downed 3-1 at home by Liverpool on the weekend. They haven’t been that great in the Champions League either with a win, draw and loss so far. They sit in third place in Group G with four points and have scored five goals and allowed two against. Dynamo Kiev is one points and one position ahead of them with a victory and a pair of draws. They’ve scored four goals and conceded two. FC Porto of Portugal leads the group with seven points while Maccabi Tel Aviv of Israel sits in the cellar with no points.
Chelsea has just one win in their last eight contests in all competition s. They’ve been struggling mainly because of a lack of goals so far this campaign as well as a leaky defense and mediocre goaltending. Mourinho has had to deal with the poor form of Spanish international Cesc Fabregas and Belgian international Eden Hazard in the midfield as well. Hazard, who was named the Premier League’s player of the year for the 2014/15 season, has been benched at times this season and his relationship with Mourinho has deteriorated quite a bit. The Blues are still without number one goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois of Belgium and his absence has been very noticeable.
Mourinho may also be without Spanish international striker Diego Costa, defender Branislav Ivanovic and midfielder Pedro Rodriguez for the game. There is currently no reports of any injuries from Dynamo Kiev. Chelsea opened the group stage with a 4-0 home win over Maccabi and then lost on the road 2-1 to Porto before drawing with Kiev. Dynamo scored late to draw Porto in their opener at home and then downed Maccabi 2-0 away. Kiev has just five wins in their past 33 group stage outings and one away victory in their past eight. The Ukrainian team has five wins in 25 fixtures against English clubs, but they’re winless in a dozen trips to England with a pair of draws and 10 losses.
Chelsea enters the game with six losses in the Premier League this season after losing just three all of last campaign. They’ve lost three home matches after going unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in 2014/15 and losing just three at home in the past three years. Dynamo Kiev has 14 clean sheets in 19 games in all competitions this season and enter this game after beating Metalist Kharkiv in domestic league play on the weekend. The last time Dynamo Kiev beat an English side in the Champions League was in 2003 when they downed Arsenal 2-1. They’ve drawn two and lost five since then. Chelsea has played just one Ukrainian squad in the past as they won and lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2012/13.