Chelsea host Ajax in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday aiming to kick on in Europe.
MORE — Latest UEFA Champions League table
Enzo Maresca’s side edged past Benfica 1-0 in their last Champions League game after losing at Bayern Munich in their opener. Injuries continue to impact Chelsea’s options but their incredible squad depth is seeing them through as after a wobble they’ve recovered well and won four of their last five games in all competitions. In the end Chelsea eased past Nottingham Forest 3-0 at the weekend but their much-changed side didn’t control the game and Maresca’s side have to stop getting red cards.
Ajax are the underdogs as they head to west London as they’ve struggled at the start of the season and are already nine points behind Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord. They’ve also lost both of their opening Champions League games (at home against Inter 2-0 and at Marseille 4-0) and pressure is already building on new manager John Heitinga as Ajax lost at home to AZ Alkmaar at the weekend.
For live updates and highlights throughout Chelsea vs Ajax, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Chelsea vs Ajax live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 3pm ET Wednesday (October 22)
Venue: Stamford Bridge — London
TV Channel/Streaming:Paramount+
Chelsea team news, focus
Star playmaker Cole Palmer remains out through injury, while Enzo Fernandez is back in training but Maresca has hinted he may not start on Wednesday as the Argentine midfielder recovers from a knee issue he suffered on international duty. Moises Caicedo should start after only being fit enough to come off the bench in the win at Forest at the weekend. Liam Delap is almost back fit, while Chelsea will start either Marc Guiu or Tyrique George up top as Joao Pedro is suspended after his red card against Benfica. It will be intriguing to see who starts out wide with Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto and Estevao all scrapping for two spots. At center back Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin are likely to start with youngster Josh Acheampong being rotated in and out of the lineup as his form and maturity has been much-needed given all of Chelsea’s defensive injuries.
Ajax team news, focus
The Dutch giants no longer have that many familiar names in their lineup with Dutch internationals Wout Weghorst and Davy Klassen their best-known stars. Another Dutch international, attacking midfielder Steven Berghuis, has been struggling with an injury. Heitinga has plenty of young talents to work with but he is obviously just a few months into a new project. Ajax finished second in the Eredivisie last season as they narrowly lost the title to rivals PSV after a huge late-season collapse. Since then huge changes have taken place in the playing and coaching staff with Heitinga replacing Francesco Farioli. Ajax have struggled in recent seasons but we all know they are only a few years away from unearthing some more gems from their famed academy and challenging in Europe once again.
Chelsea vs Ajax prediction
This should be a pretty straightforward victory for Chelsea who have too much in attack for Ajax’s young defense. Chelsea 3-1 Ajax.