Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers Prediction, lineups, betting tips & odds

The Blues plan to take their unbeaten streak to 11 games.

London’s Chelsea will welcome Irish club Shamrock Rovers in the UEFA Conference League this Friday the 20th of December. The match will surely be for the bragging rights as both teams have pretty much sealed their direct entry into the knockout phases.

While West London’s Chelsea are sitting at the top with 15 points having won all their games, Shamrock Rovers are in sixth place with 11 points. For those unversed with the UEFA Conference League, it is played in the same format as the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. However, unlike the other formats, the league phase here comprises six games. The Conference League is the third tier of European club football and came into being in 2021.

Five #PL wins in a row! 🔵#CFC | #CHEBRE pic.twitter.com/lwwr2yVyee

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 15, 2024

Despite being a low-profile competition compared to its decorated predecessors the tournament is of value as it enables the winner to directly get promoted to the Europa League. Moreover, a Conference League club trophy is also up for grabs. Chelsea will not want to miss out on this opportunity of adding one more cup to their already stacked cabinet. More so, when their competition here lacks the bite of the usual heavyweights they play against.

Kick-Off:

Friday, 20th December, 1:30 AM IST

Location: Stamford Bridge

Form:

Chelsea: W-W-W-W-W

Shamrock Rovers: W-W-L-D-W

Players to Watch:

Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea)

Just like Cole Palmer has made the Premiere League his own, his striking partner Christopher Nkunku has done so with the Conference League. The French man has scored five goals in four matches. His insane passing accuracy of 88.5 has also troubled the defenders immensely.

Nkunku joined Chelsea back in 2023 for a reported 52 million euros after his very impressive spell in the Bundesliga. His jaw-dropping dribbling coupled with his pace and passing ability has proved to be a handful for his markers.

Johnny Kenny (Shamrock Rovers)

Out on loan from Celtic Johnny Kenny is doing wonders in Ireland. The Irish international is currently the leading goalscorer in the Conference League with five goals. A distinction that he shares with Nkunku. However, his performance in the domestic league has also been far more impressive than Nkunku’s.

The forward has scored 13 goals in the elite Irish league this season. Kenny is definitely making the family name proud as his father Johnny Sr was a former footballer back in the day.

Match Facts

• Chelsea FC haven’t lost in their last 10 games.
• When Shamrock Rovers are down 1-0 away, they win 0% of their matches.
• Axel Disasi has more yellow cards (2) than any other player at Chelsea FC. Dan Cleary has collected 2 for Shamrock Rovers.

Chelsea vs Shamrock Rovers: Betting Tips and Odds

• Chelsea to win – 1.07 MOSTBET
• Goals over 2.5 – 1.24 20BET
• Christopher Nkunku to score – 8/11 BETMGM

Injury and Team News

In the Chelsea side Wesley Fofana, Reece James and Joao Felix will be missing on the proceedings because of injuries.

In the Shamrock Rovers side, Rory Gaffney will miss the action courtesy of an injury.

London calling ☎️#RoversInEurope pic.twitter.com/pAcRxuJDqa

— Shamrock Rovers FC (@ShamrockRovers) December 15, 2024

Head-to-Head

Chelsea and Shamrock Rovers have never met each other in the past. It will be a first-time encounter between these two teams.

Predicted Lineup

Chelsea predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Sanchez (GK); Gusto, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Nkunku

Shamrock Rovers predicted lineup (3-5-2)

Pohls (GK); Cleary, Lopes , Grace; Burns, Watts, O’Neill, Poom, Honohan; Kenny, Farrugia

Match Prediction

As things stand it seems clear that Chelsea are the obvious favourites. Enzo Maresca’s men are currently on a riot and Shamrock will have a really long night if they aren’t careful. The men in blue might just eviscerate Shamrock if they lose focus even for a millisecond and the Dublin-based side simply cannot allow that to happen at any cost.

Match Prediction: Chelsea 5-0 Shamrock Rovers

Telecast

India: Sony Sports Network

UK: TNT Sports

USA: Paramount+, TUDN

Nigeria: DStv Now

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