Chelsea vs Lyon Prediction - International Champions Cup Odds and Betting Pick

Premier League giant Chelsea embarks on its last preparations for the upcoming 2018-19 season on Tuesday August 7, 2018 as they host Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in their final International Champions Cup 2018 match at Stamford Bridge.

Both teams currently have a record of one win and one loss each in the tournament with Chelsea’s only win coming via penalties against Inter Milan. On the other hand, Lyon prevailed over Benfica 2-1 in a highly entertaining affair.

Sarri’s Style Of Play

The match will be another chance for Chelsea players to get used to head coach Maurizio Sarri’s desired style of play. The former Italian banker prefers his squad to play with heavy pressing coupled with clean and precise passing between the lines.

Fortunately for Sarri, he has several playmakers at his disposal including Cesc Fabregas and wing man Callum Hudson-Odoi. The 17 year old Hudson-Odoi is likely going to be given another opportunity to strut his stuff as he has been impressive for Chelsea during the postseason.

Lyon boss Bruno Genesio may want to give minutes to Memphis Depay as the Les Gones prepare for their Ligue 1 opening match against Amiens on Sunday. Likewise, Genesio may also want to spare playing minutes for France international Nabil Fekir, who was linked to a £53 million transfer to Liverpool for much of the summer.

Genesio is certainly delighted to have Fekir back in his fold as he the attacking midfielder is a creative genius between the midfield and forward lines. Last season, Fekir was fouled more times (105) than any other player in Ligue 1.

Chelsea vs Lyon 8/7/18

Odds: Chelsea +145, Lyon +175
Odds from 10bet.com as of August 6, 2018

Predicted Lineups

Here are the predicted starting line-ups for both squads:

Chelsea:

Abraham
Hudson-Odoi
Pedro
Loftus-Cheek
Fabregas
Bakayoko
Emerson
Luiz
Christensen
Zappacosta
Caballero

Chelsea is still without superstar Eden Hazard as he continues to enjoy an extended break after playing in the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup. Sarri’s squad played at almost 100% strength against Manchester United last Saturday afternoon and he’s got to be a little worried because the Premier League Champions defeated them with relative ease. With their domestic campaign about to kick off in the coming days, the Blues hope to get their confidence back in time.

Lyon:

Diaz
Depay
Maolida
NDombele
Ferri
Pape Diop
Dubois
Pereira
Bomawoko
Rafael
Gorgelin

Memphis Depay will look to return to the starting XI after he was relegated to the bench during their match against Inter Milan. Depay is one of the main players on this Lion side because his wizardry and pace cause problems for opposing defenses in Ligue 1.

Former Manchester United full back Rafael will look to feature on defense while Forward Mariano Diaz from the Dominican Republic will continue to sharpen his game and build up his conditioning before the Ligue 1 season officially starts.

Who Wins?

On paper, Chelsea looks very much talented for this Lyon side. But the fact that they played poorly 48 hours before Tuesday’s contest is a cause of concern, not just for this game but for the coming season moving forward.

It may seem like Chelsea’s players are having some trouble adjusting from Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 formation to Sarri’s preferred 4-3-3 system. The big question is if they can get it going this time around? For sure there are plenty of tired bodies on Chelsea and Sarri is likely going to make changes in his starting XI. But with the way they lost on Sunday, they may take some time before getting their bearings back.

Mariano and Depay will try to look for holes in the weakened defense of Chelsea and these two are probably going to cause most trouble for the Blues on Tuesday. After an underwhelming tour of duty in Manchester, Depay is enjoying a renaissance in France.

Betting Prediction

No question that Chelsea has been struggling so far under Sarri but with their fans expected to pack Stamford Bridge to support them, we think that we will see a different Chelsea team on Tuesday. Sure, it still won’t be what Sarri is expecting his team to be but with the explosive talent on that side, that would be enough to pull them through here.

International Champions Cup 2018: Chelsea vs Lyon 8/7/18 Odds, Preview and Prediction