Arsenal vs Chelsea

16/12- The Gunners take on the blues as Arsenal host Chelsea, this one is set to be a blockbuster. The Gunners have just suffered their first defeat of the season last week and what seemed impossible till then was made possible by a recovering Middlesbrough and this is something Chelsea would look to pounce upon. The tie would be very interesting in terms of the outcome it might have and the impact on the positions the teams hold on the premiership points table. Arsenal are the leaders followed by Man U and then Chelsea followed by Liverpool and all 4 teams are pitted against each other, the matches will be evenly matched and if any of the teams are able to pull of a victory they will possibly march ahead.

 

In terms of confidence Chelsea should hold an upper hand as they are coming off a 2-0 win against Sunderland last week and they held Valencia to a draw in Champions League action mid week. While Arsenal did beat Steaua Bucharest at home in the Champions League they would be jolted by their first premiership defeat this season against Middlesbrough last week and will come out eager to make a statement and this is something Chelsea need to be careful of. The match will be evenly contested on and off the field, while Lampard and company hope to see Ballack in good shape and form on field, Jose Murinho would be definitely taking a leaf of Gareth Southgate’s book and instructing his players.

 

Arsen Wenger on the other hand would try and see to it that his force of Adebayor, Van persie and a recovering Fabregas  would be on the field and the home crowd would steer them on to get back to winning ways in the premiership. Most importantly Arsenal would not like to give away their top spot.

 

Prediction: 1-1

Champions league: Group B: CHELSEA vs. VALENCIA

There really isn’t much to play for in this group B match, except for Chelsea to add another home game to their unbeaten record, which they don’t want to lose. Valencia’s season is starting to fall to pieces very quickly; they were held to a boring goalless drew in La Liga on Saturday against Osasuna and are having one hell of a time trying to score goals. They have now gone four games without hitting the back of the net and you would have to go back to the tenth of November to see the last Valencia goal. They can still qualify for the UEFA cup by finishing in third spot in their group, but who would back them winning at Stamford Bridge when so many others have failed?

The most surprising of Valencia’s problems has to be in front of goal. It’s not as if they don’t have the players. David Villa, Fernando Morientes and Zigic have all proven themselves as adept goal scorers. Coach Ronald Koeman has decided to use players from Valencia’s inferior category instead of his usual choices, as he also has a lot of injury problems to deal with. So out is David Albelda, who got a red card in the last Champions match against Schalke 04, and Miguel Ángel Angulo, Joaquín Sánchez, Marco Caneira, Rubén Baraja Alexis Ruano have all been ruled out owing to various physical problems.

Chelsea, who struggled to beat Sunderland at home in the Premier league at the weekend, have their own injury worries, too. Didier Drogba has just had knee surgery and will be out for a while, and when he does get back to full fitness he will travel back home to take put in the African cup. That leaves Chelsea flop Andriy Shevchenko to fill his boots. But in this game I don’t think Chelsea needs to worry too much. They have only conceded one goal in the last seven matches and have scored twelve. Just don’t put all your money on a runaway victory for the home side, though. This is going to be a bitter fought, untidy game with very few chances for either team. I’m going for a one nil win for Chelsea, who will be thinking of the Premier league match against Arsenal the following weekend.

Prediction: Home win (1-0)

Chelsea vs Sunderland

8/12- With Arsenal and Man U having easier ties this match is very important for Chelsea as they would not want to fall behind in the title contention. With Liverpool on their backs having played a match less than Chelsea, it is important that the blue make the most out of this home encounter and pick up all the three points against a struggling Sunderland. On the other hand 15th place Sunderland are just a couple of points from the relegation zone and their only win in the last many matches is the solitary goal victory over last placed Derby last week. Chelsea on the other hand are in third position on the premiership table and would like to maintain their spot and if Man U get an unlikely result against derby the blues will be more than eager to cash on the opportunity. The biggest problem for the home team is the absence of their star striker Drogba due to injury but against a struggling team like Sunderland they seem to have more than enough fire power with Lampard and company to sail away with a home victory and full points. Chelsea can also avail the services of their goalkeeper Cech who was out due to injury and this comparatively easier home tie would be a nice time for him to return and get some match practice. Sunderland, to their credit have managed good shows against the other big teams like Manchester United and Arsenal but they surely stand an extremely slim chance of stopping the blue brigade in their London backyard but Roy Keanne’s team would be more than happy even if they are able to steal a point of this tie and continue their run out of the relegation zone. But a draw or a Chelsea loss looks highly unlikely as the blues are in quite good form. Prediction: 2-0, Chelsea win

Champions league: Rosenberg vs. Chelsea

After Rosenberg’s shock victories over Valencia, they go into this Group B clash full of fire and determination to seal their pass to the next round. There’s only one problem. They aren’t facing a Valencia squad full of doubt but Chelsea. Still, in the first game between these two teams Rosenberg did earn a draw at Stamford bridge which in turn resulted in the dismissal of Jose Mourinho. Rosenberg’s Norwegian league has finished and they haven’t played a game since beating Valencia in Spain two weeks ago. Not the kind of thing you’d want before taking on mighty Chelsea but still, they will have the weather on their side. No one in their right mind would want to go to Norway in November and play a game of football, and it will be interesting to see how the Chelsea players react to this, especially those who come from more temperate climes.

Chelsea are without a number of key figures, most notably keeper Cech and Ivory coast international Didier Drogba. His place is probably going to be taken by Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko, which might be a good idea owing to the weather.

Chelsea should be very careful going into this match. Valencia went there thinking it would be an easy game against the minnows of this group and ended up being comprehensibly beaten. All their players will be fully rested after finishing their domestic league almost a month ago, and I don’t see why the Norwegian side can’t earn a good draw. While Chelsea are getting the right results in the Premier league, their football hasn’t been as impressive as those above them, especially Arsenal and Manchester United. Some of the players look tired, and this will have an adverse effect on this match. Also, they haven’t really been playing nearly as good in this edition of the Champions League –two wins and two draws- when they really should have been runaway leaders.

I’m going to stick my neck out on this one and go for a one-one draw. Not the most exciting result and I doubt if it will be an exciting game, but one point for each side might well be enough to put them both through to the knock out stages.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Parma vs Juventus

Parma are off to a rough start this season and their struggles continued in Round 11 when they were held to 2-2 draw at home by the lowly Siena. It was the second time in 3 days that Parma have blown a lead late and have had to settle for a draw. Parma’s failure to capture the 3 points at home leaves them in 14^th place of the league table with just 11 points form 11 matches. It also put manager Di Carlo’s spot in jeopardy as Parma are getting closer and closer to the dreaded relegation zone. However, hopes are high this week that the side from the Ennio Tardini will be able to rise to the occasion against the mighty Juve. The only problem is that the back line continues to leak goals and inspires very little confidence.

While the Vecchia Signora were unable to defeat Inter Milan at home in Round 11, they are still off to a more than acceptable start in this their first season back in top flight Italian football. They have 21 points from 11 matches and sit just 4 points back of the league leaders, Inter Milan. Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri has done a great job after taking over for Didier Deschamps and the club has not missed a beat so far. The two biggest absences for Juve this week are Nedved and Mauro Camoranesi, Nedved is suspended while the Italian international is recovering from injury and expected to start on the bench. The Argentine Almiron will be in Nedved’s spot just behind David Trezeguet and Alex Del Piero while Salihamidzic will cover for Camoranesi. Trezeguet currently leads the league in scoring with 10 goals.

Despite Juve’s absences in this match, they still possess a ton of fire power both in attack and midfield. Parma have not played particularly well at home all season long and after two disappointing draws, including one at home, they are being asked to beat one of the best clubs in Europe, let alone Serie A. Their bright spot this season has been center forward Bernardo Corradi while Juventus are full of superstars. Even if they were at full strength Parma do not appear to be in position to cause Juventus too many problems these days.

Prediction: Road win (0-2)

Chelsea Vs Everton

Chelsea Vs Derby

Kick off: Sunday 11^th November 2PM (BST)

Location: Stamford Bridge

Chelsea go into Sunday’s game with four consecutive league wins under their belt. New manager Avram Grant has had a successful start as Chelsea manager, and there’s no doubt he’ll be looking for another win on Sunday. Everton have won their last two games in the premiership too, so this is set out to be a rather exciting affair.

Both Chelsea and Everton played midweek in the Champions League and UEFA Cup respectively. Chelsea drew away to Schalke and Everton won away to Nurnberg. So, with any hope, Everton fans will be hoping that their win in midweek boosts the confidence throughout the camp and therefore can hopefully come away with something at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s injury list continues with Petr Cech unavailable for Sunday’s game as he’s out with a torn calf. However, some good news for Chelsea is that Ashley Cole is back, and has been included in the squad to face Everton. Chelsea, only three points behind champions Manchester United, are effectively back in the title race after their recent performances in the league and will certainly be hoping to push on their title hopes this weekend with a win against Everton.

Of course Chelsea go in favourites for this game, however, you’d be mad to rule out Everton. With new transfer Yakubu starting to place the ball in the back of the net, Carlo Cudicini will have something to worry about. Everton will no doubt go to the Bridge and be looking for a win, rather than coming to London and playing as a defensive unit. Everton, currently lying in 8^th place in the league, have injury worries of their own though. Missing key players such as Andy Johnson and James Vaughan.

Obviously Chelsea go in favourites and are expected to pick up three points this weekend. However, with key players such as Petr Cech and John Terry out, Chelsea may struggle at the back against in form striker Yakubu.

Prediction: I’m going to have to say a 2-1 win to Chelsea. Chelsea’s strength in depth will show and they should overcome The Toffees.

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