Blackburn vs Chelsea preview
Posted on | August 26, 2006 | No Comments
Defending champions Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways when they travel to Ewood Park to meet Blackburn Rovers on Sunday. The Blues were shocked by Middlesbrough in midweek with a late Mark Viduka goal sealing their fate.They have also been given a tricky Champions League group which consists of Spanish giants Barcelona and Bundesliga contenders Werder Bremen.
The season hasn’t started the way Chelsea would have liked it to. Mourinho will have to do without the services of Petr Cech and Joe Cole, with the duo not yet having recovered from injuries. Arjen Robben and Michael Ballack are expected to be available for selection, though. Robben suffered an injury in warmup prior to the game at the Riverside and missed the game as a result. Ballack has recovered from a hip injury.Frank Lampard and prolific Ukranian striker Andriy Shevchenko will be the expected sources for goals. The absence of William Gallas will mean that Ricardo Carvalho will partner John Terry in the heart of defence.
Blackburn also haven’t had the best start to their campaign, with a 3-0 loss to Portsmouth and a 1-1 draw against Everton.They put up a listless display against Harry Redknapp’s side and Tim Cahill robbed them of all three points with his late equaliser for the Toffees.Former PSV defender Andre Oojer could make his Premiership debut. Lucas Neill,who conceded the controversial penalty which sent the Aussies out of Germany, returns after missing out on the Everton game with suspension. Tugay is suspended for this game. Benni McCarthy, who scored his debut goal against Everton, will face off against his former manager at Porto,the wily Mourinho. Jason Roberts is expected to partner the South African upfront.Much will be expected of the young Norwegian, Morten Gamst Pedersen. The former Tromsa midfielder possesses immense talent and will be a player to watch throughout the game. He was one of the pillars in Rovers’ last season shock win against Manchester United at home and Blackburn fans will be hoping for an encore from him.
Verdict: Chelsea have lost their last 3 away games in the Premiership. One of them was a 1-0 defeat to Blackburn where Steven Reid scored the deciding goal.It will be tough for Chelsea to win at Ewood Park and they will have to put up an improved performance if they wish to get anything out of this game.The game is a perfect opportunity for the Chelsea stars to show their true mettle.Blackburn will be a tough nut to crack,but I expect Chelsea to nick this one perhaps just by an odd goal. 1-0.
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