Champions League Group H predictions and odds: Top spot the goal for Chelsea

Team-by-team guide, betting predictions, best bets and analysis for Champions League Group H.

Chelsea

Manager – Thomas Tuchel
Chelsea have been transformed by Tuchel, who steered them to Champions League glory within five months of taking the job. Previously, Tuchel had won two league titles with Paris St-Germain.

Transfer activity
Chelsea felt that a top class centre-forward was the missing piece of the jigsaw and they acted decisively by bringing back Romelu Lukaku for his second spell at Stamford Bridge.

Key man
The Londoners have top-class players across the pitch but the addition of Lukaku gives them another dimension which could be crucial to their Champions League defence.

Prospects
Tuchel was probably way ahead of schedule when steering Chelsea to Champions League glory but he will still fancy his team's chances of staging a successful defence of the trophy.

The Blues switched to a back three under the German and became more solid at the back with clean sheets kept in five of seven Champions League knockout stage fixtures.

Offensively, there was room for improvement but Lukaku's arrival offers them a much-needed focal point and should benefit the likes of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech, who will get a little more room to express their substantial talents.

Inside info

Best 11
3-4-2-1: Mendy, Azpilicueta, Christensen, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Alonso; Havertz, Mount; Lukaku.

Penalty taker Jorginho

Set-piece aerial threat Antonio Rudiger

Card magnet N'Golo Kante

Star rating out of five Five

Juventus

Manager – Massimiliano Allegri
Allegri has had a stellar managerial career, particularly in his opening spell at Juventus where he won five Serie A titles and four Italian Cups, but he has taken on a tough challenge on his return and will need time and patience if he is to create another successful team.

Transfer activity
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure was the headline-grabber and overshadowed the arrival of talented midfielder Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo. Goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon moved on to Parma.

Key man
Allegri's return could be good news for Argentinian attacker Paulo Dybala, who has lost his way in recent seasons.

Prospects
Juventus were surprisingly dumped out of last season's Champions League by Porto at the round of 16 and it is hard to see them faring much better as they embark on a season of transition.

Cristiano Ronaldo's presence has loomed large for the last two seasons, yet the Portuguese could not prevent Juve from falling well short in the 2020-21 title race.

Ronaldo's departure offers up an opportunity for Moise Kean or Alvaro Morata but there are question marks over both players' finishing prowess.

It could take a while for Allegri to settle on his best team although round of 16 qualification should be achieved.

Inside info

Best 11
4-4-2: Szczesny, Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Ramsey, Bernardeschi; Dybala, Morata.

Penalty taker Alvaro Morata

Set-piece aerial threat Matthijs De Ligt

Card magnet Rodrigo Bentancur

Star rating out of five Three

Zenit St-Petersburg

Manager – Sergei Semak
Three seasons as Zenit St-Petersburg's manager have brought three league titles for Segei Semak, whose next challenge is to preside over an improvement in the team's Champions League fortunes.

Transfer activity
A quiet transfer window featured one major deal for Zenit, who captured Brazilian forward Claudino from Brazilian top-flight side Red Bull Bragantino. Goalkeeper Andrei Lunev was moved on to Leverkusen.

Key man
Claudinho will probably need time to settle so the onus will be on Iranian forward Serdar Azmoun to continue his impressive start to the season.

Prospects
Getting out of the group will be the overriding ambition for Zenit, who have failed to reach the round of 16 since 2015-16.

However, the gap in class between Russian domestic football and the Champions League has probably grown in recent years, making it tough for Zenit to properly prepare for the tough challenges they face.

Powerhouse centre-forward Artem Dzyuba usually does the business for them in Russian league games – scoring 37 goals over the last two seasons.

However, Dzyuba struggled at Euro 2020 and may find it tough to make the difference against elite Champions League defenders.

Inside info

Best 11
4-4-2: Kerzhakov; Karavaev, Lovren, Rakitskiy, Douglas Santos; Malcom, Barrios, Kuzyaev, Wendel; Dzyuba, Azmoun.

Penalty taker Sardar Azmoun

Set-piece aerial threat Dejan Lovren

Card magnet Wilmar Barrios

Star rating out of five Three

Malmo

Manager – Jon Dahl Tomasson
The former Newcastle attacker is making a decent fist of management having steered Malmo to the Swedish title during his first season in charge. Previously, he had a four-year spell as an assistant with the Danish national team.

Transfer activity
Malmo have to be careful with their transfer dealings but the loan capture of Croatian forward Antonio-Mirko Colac from PAOK is looking inspired with the 28-year-old netting eight goals in his first 14 league appearances.

Key man
Malmo will have to do a lot of defending and will lean heavily on Bosnian international centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic, who featured in his country's recent 1-1 draw away to France.

Prospects
Malmo were European Cup finalists in 1979 – losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest – but have not been major players on the continent for a long time and will do well to avoid finishing bottom of Group H.

Their most recent foray in the Champions League group stage came in 2015-16 when they lost five of their six matches without scoring a goal and finished with a goal difference of minus 20.

They will be hoping to be a lot more competitive, particularly at the Eleda Stadion where they overcame Rangers (2-1) and Ludogorets Razgrad (2-0) in the qualifying rounds.

Inside info

Best 11
3-5-2: Dahlin; Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Brorsson; Berget, Lewicki, Christiansen, Innocent, Rieks; Colak, Birmancevic.

Penalty taker Anders Christiansen

Set-piece aerial threat Lasse Nielsen

Card magnet Bonke Innocent

Star rating out of five One

Best bet

Chelsea to win Group H
4pts 4-6 Betfred, BoyleSports

Group preview

A lot of Chelsea's best football under Thomas Tuchel has been produced on Champions League nights and the trend could continue with the Londoners likely to justify odds-on favouritism in Group H.

Solid defence was the bedrock of Chelsea's success in last season's competition.

They conceded just two goals in the knockout stage and were worthy 1-0 winners against Manchester City in the final.

Tuchel's tactical nous came to the fore against City, who registered just one shot on target, and his hand has been strengthened considerably by the re-signing of Lukaku.

The Belgian was outstanding on his seasonal debut against Arsenal and offers another method for Chelsea to go about winning the big games.

Juventus are probably the only team capable of causing Chelsea problems but they look a club in transition as they adjust to the loss of Ronaldo.

The Turin giants lost 1-0 at home to Empoli in their second league game of the season and need to be careful to avoid getting dragged into a scrap for second place.

Zenit will be the main threat to Juve but they took just one point in a weaker group last season – finishing below Borussia Dortmund, Lazio and Bruges – and are likely to fall short again.

Not got a William Hill account? Sign up and bet £10 to get £30 in free bets

Open a new account using Promo code H30 only, Min £10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 2 x £15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed, payment method/player/country restrictions apply. T&Cs apply 18+ begambleaware.org

CLAIM OFFER HERE

MORE FREE BETS

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport