Chelsea face one of their biggest UEFA Champions League tests right out of the gate as they travel to Germany for their league-phase opener against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The Blues qualified for Europe’s top competition by finishing fourth in the domestic table last season and are unbeaten through their first four Premier League matches of the new campaign, although two of those were draws against Crystal Palace and Brentford.
New Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has been excellent in replacing Nicolas Jackson, who will face his old team after joining the Bundesliga giants on transfer deadline day.
Jackson, however, is just a backup for now as he plays behind England star Harry Kane, who already has eight goal contributions (five goals and three assists) in the first three Bundesliga games of the season. That has left Bayern as the only perfect team just three matchdays into the German top-flight campaign, alone at the top of the table and already two points ahead of rivals Borussia Dortmund.
MORE: Predicted lineups, team news, and latest injury updates ahead of Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea
Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Draw (+380 on DraftKings)
- Score prediction: Bayern Munich 1-1 Chelsea
- Best bet: Chelsea double chance (+125 on DraftKings)
Bayern have offensively out-muscled every one of their Bundesliga opponents so far, but that has often failed to translate to the Champions League in recent years, so it must be taken with a grain of salt. While papering over the injury to Jamal Musiala has been easy domestically, it will not be so simple on a European stage.
Indeed, it was Musiala’s absence that ultimately scuppered their Champions League chances last season as they failed to keep up with eventual finalists Inter Milan in the quarterfinals and lost by a 4-3 aggregate score.
Chelsea absolutely have their weaknesses defending the counter-attack, as they were vulnerable at times against both Brentford and Fulham in recent Premier League games, but the Blues will not be facing such a run-and-gun team here. Sure, Bayern will try to attack them with speed and skill, but the game will not flow the same.
This is the same Chelsea team that pummeled Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup final not long ago, and they beat Liverpool near the end of last season in league play en route to Champions League qualification. They are, if anything, more equipped to beat superior teams than inferior ones, and can absolutely steal a quality result on the road here.
| DraftKings (USA) |
|
| Bayern win | -155 |
| Draw | +330 |
| Chelsea win | +380 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: -185 N: +145 |
| Over / Under 3.5 goals |
O: +130 U: -165 |
| Bayern -0.5 goals |
-170 |
| Chelsea +0.5 goals |
+120 |
Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea match facts
- Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
- Kickoff Time: 9 p.m. local (3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT)
- Location: Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany)
- Referee: Jose Sanchez (ESP)
- Last meeting: Bayern Munich 4-1 Chelsea (Aug. 8, 2020 | Champions League)
MORE: A complete guide to betting on soccer in the United States
Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea best bet
Even if there’s not a lot of scoring in this game, there certainly will be plenty of attempts on goal at both ends of the pitch, so hammer the over.
Even ignoring what Bayern do in Bundesliga play, they managed the second-most shots of any Champions League side despite dropping out in the quarterfinals last term. Chelsea, meanwhile, have registered the second-most shots in Premier League play through four matches at a rate of 0.12 non-penalty xG per shot, which is fifth-best in the league.
On the opposite end, this Bayern, largely unchanged from last season, coughed up 25 shots to counter-attacking Inter across their two quarterfinal legs, indicating they can be got at in their own half. Chelsea, similarly, have been gettable this season in Premier League play, conceding 41 shots to opponents, which is 12th in the Premier League despite having only played Crystal Palace, West Ham, Fulham, and Brentford.
Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea prop bet
- Pick: Cole Palmer to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +165 on FanDuel
Cole Palmer is, quite simply, a big-game player.
Since joining Chelsea in the summer of 2023, Palmer has scored Premier League goals against Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham, plus netting in the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla and the Club World Cup final against PSG, as well as a pair of assists against Real Betis in the Conference League final.
Add in his assist in the Euro 2024 semifinal against Netherlands and England’s only goal in the final against Spain, and it’s clear he is at his best under the brightest lights. Even when he’s struggling, he gets up for big games — the only game Palmer scored in from mid-January on in Premier League play last season came against the eventual champions.
Palmer has already made five minor appearances in the Champions League with Man City, scoring once against Club Brugge, but this will be his first real chance to star in the world’s biggest club football competition. Against one of the biggest sides in Europe, he will undoubtedly be at the heart of the match.
