Changes are expected from Graham Potter as Chelsea face Dinamo Zagreb in their final game of Group E in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
After losing 4-1 to Brighton on Potter's return to his old club, Chelsea will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday against Dynamo Zagreb. The Blues are already guaranteed to finish top of Group E and advance to the last 16, with AC Milan unable to overtake Chelsea due to the head-to-head ruling of the competition.
The reverse fixture produced a shock result as the Croatian side beat Chelsea 1-0 in what was ultimately Thomas Tuchel's final game as Blues boss. With nothing to play for, Potter is set to hand fringe players starts in a new-look XI on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Behind the scenes in Chelsea training for Dinamo clash as four youngsters join amid injury issue
Kepa is ruled out after coming off with an injury against Brighton, whilst Wesley Fofana, Reece James and N'Golo Kante are also set to be missing for Chelsea. The likes of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Conor Gallagher, Denis Zakaria and Armando Broja could all start at Stamford Bridge.
So, could Chelsea win their last game in Group E ? We simulated the Blues' clash with Dinamo Zagreb to find out. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions
We simulated Chelsea vs Dinamo Zagreb to get a score prediction
We predict that the Blues could line up in a 4-3-2-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Koulibaly, Chilwell; Jorginho, Zakaria, Gallagher; Ziyech, Pulisic; Broja.
We predict that the visitors could set up in a 3-5-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Livakovic; Ristovski, Sutalo, Peric; Spikic, Ivanusec, Misic, Ademi, Ljubicic; Petkovic, Orisic.
Chelsea got off to an ideal start at Stamford Bridge, with Pulisic opening the scoring for the Blues. Zakaria spotted the run of Pulisic with a ball over the top of the Zagreb defence, and after taking the pass into his stride, the winger rifled his effort across goal.
But, just five minutes after going ahead, the visitors levelled the score as Bruno Petkovic headed past Edouard Mendy from close range. It went from bad to worse for Chelsea on the 20-minute mark as they were reduced to 10 men when Trevoh Chalobah was sent off for a late challenge as the last man.
Despite going down to 10, Chelsea remained on top, and Pulisic notched his second of the evening minutes after the dismissal when he latched onto a loose back pass, rounded the 'keeper and tapped into the net. The Blues were looking dominant, and it was 3-1 after 30 minutes when Ziyech got in on the act.
Ziyech drifted into the middle as the wings became congested, and it was a smart move as Cesar Azpilicueta sprayed a pass to Jorginho just outside the box. As the midfielder looked to pass forward, Ziyech was unmarked in the area, and after a quick turn to peel away from the defender, he fired past the 'keeper on his weak foot.
Just before half time, Ziyech made it 4-1 to Chelsea - the winger was quickest to react when Broja's shot was parried into his path, leaving him the simple task of tapping into an empty net. And, just after the restart, Ziyech put the game well past the visitors as he grabbed his hat trick.
Similar to the first goal, Ziyech drifted into the middle when Chelsea regained possession and Zakaria's long ball forward found the Moroccan. After sizing up his defender and brushing past him, the winger beat the 'keeper at his near post with a powerful strike.
It got even better for Ziyech in the 70th minute, with the winger picking out the top corner from distance to make it 6-1 and grab his fourth of the night. It was a rampant display from 10-men Chelsea, and captain Azpilicueta got on the scoresheet with minutes remaining for the Blues' seventh.
A rapid counter-attack saw Chelsea attack the visitors in numbers, with Azpilicueta being picked out on the overlap. As the Spaniard entered the box, he fired a fantastic strike across goal and into the far corner. Broja was hauled down inside the box in added time at the end of the game, and Jorginho dispatched his penalty to make it eight and confirm an impressive three points for Potter's side.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Chelsea 8-1 Dinamo Zagreb
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that despite being reduced to 10 men early on, Chelsea could produce a fantastic display, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 8-1 in the simulation. The likes of Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic took their opportunity as they ended the Champions League Group Stages in style.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
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