Chelsea vs Servette Prediction & Betting Tips (22 August)

Despite significant investments in the transfer market, Chelsea are still struggling to return to the top of the Premier League. Worse still, the Blues failed to qualify for a European competition, finishing in 6th place, 5 points from the top 4. Eager to find this Big 4 before aiming higher, the London club is under pressure this season. During the pre-season, Chelsea won only one of their six matches, held to a draw by Wrexham 2-2 then beaten by Celtic Glasgow 1-4, they then revived by dominating Club America 3- 0 but lost there twice against Manchester City 4-2 and Real Madrid 2-1. Finally, the Blues were not able to beat Inter either 1-1 and the home defeat against Manchester City 0-2 for the opening of the championship does not bode well. Servette FC once again struggled to compete with Young Boys, concluding the season in 3rd place in the Swiss championship, just behind Lugano, with only one point difference. However, the Genevans were able to win against Lugano in the final of the national cup, thanks to a victory on penalties.

Their season began in mid-July, marked by three notable successes against Lucerne, Young Boys, and Yverdon. Unfortunately, two successive losses followed, one against Lugano 3-1 and the other against Basel 0-6. Unlike their opponents of the day, the Servettians directly joined this 3rd qualifying round. Their entry into the competition was encouraging with a draw in the first leg against Braga 0-0, but they suffered a defeat in the return 1-2 which forced them to play this major stage in C4. This weekend, the Swiss crushed the modest Bernex club 1-7 with a reshuffled team. 

Matchday as we host Servette at the Bridge. 🏡#CFC | #UECL pic.twitter.com/nA3ymYHuUN

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 22, 2024

As usual in recent seasons, Chelsea have been very active on the transfer market by recruiting Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester), goalkeeper Jorgensen (Villarreal), and attacking prospect Kellyman (Aston Villa). The club also strengthened its defense with Veiga (FC Basel), Wiley (Atlanta) and Adarabioyo (Fulham). Marc Guiu (Barcelona) also joined the Blues, while Andrey Santos (Strasbourg), Kepa (Real Madrid), Angelo (Strasbourg) and Lukaku (Roma) returned from loan. Only Santos returned to Strasbourg for a second season. Chelsea also recruited Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton) for 60 million euros. On the departure side, Hutchinson (Ipswich) and Thiago Silva (Fluminense) left the club. Cole Palmer (22 goals, 11 assists), Jackson (14 goals, 5 assists) and Sterling (8 goals, 4 assists) are still present, as is Nkunku (3 goals in 11 games), often injured last year.

The latter should start, unlike Petrovic, Kellyman and Gallagher (5 goals), all absent. Servette can count on players who have performed well since the start of the season, both in the league and in friendly matches. Among them, Derek Kutesa, the talented winger, scored 3 goals in 4 appearances, while Enzo Crivelli, the ex-Ligue 1 striker, stood out with a goal and an assist. Miroslav Stevanovic, a true icon of the club at 34, continues to shine, not only by scoring two goals, but also by providing numerous assists. A few seasons ago, he had delivered 20 in 34 matches! The only absentee for the Swiss will be Beniangba, on loan from Genk.