Premiership Chelsea v Portsmouth

Posted on | August 25, 2007 | No Comments

Jose Mourinho boasts an enviable Premiership home record of 65 matches since their last defeat, something which is exceptional under any circumstances.  While few could see many holes in the Chelsea squad, Mourinho finally said “good bye” Robben and “hello” Juliano Belletti, bringing in a natural right back, and something which Mourinho believes to be the final piece of the jigsaw.

On the injury front, Chelsea will be without Ashley Cole (who injured a shoulder in the run up to England duty) and Michael Ballack, Wayne Bridge and Carvalho are still unavailable for selection.  On a positive note, Chelsea look certain to hand a home debut to new signing Juliano Belletti, shoring up a defence which has been very difficult to break down at home.

Harry Redknapp on the other hand has mixed news on the injury front with Sol Campbell, Lauren and Pamarot all expected to return to the fray today.  Unfortunately it looks as though Kranjcar, O’Neil and Mendes may have to drop out, along with long term casualty Sunney Muntari.  Even though they still have a few players missing, never write off Redknapp’s boys, as he is an expert at patching up troubled and struggling teams.

While Portsmouth have introduced a few new signings in the close season, with more expected prior to the transfer deadline, new signing David Nugent has yet to shine and there are already reports that Harry is not happy.  Amazingly he has even been mentioned as a pawn in a potential swoop for another high profile striker, but nothing has yet materialised.  Redknapp does not often get signings wrong, but for him to be showing doubts at such an early stage, and not bringing Nugent into the team, does not bode well for the future.

Today’s game promises to be another “baton down the hatches” for Portsmouth, although there is a natural attacking flare to the team which could well be their down fall against a strong Chelsea team.  While Chelsea have yet to really hit full speed this season, controversially claiming a point at Liverpool last Sunday, they have a habit of grinding down teams at home.  Whether striking the killer blow in the first minute, or injury time, they have developed a useful knack of delivering the goods.

While Portsmouth have the talent to give anyone problems, it seems a little ambitious to expect them to bring Chelsea undefeated home record to a close.  They may well battle it out for a draw, if they can keep their defence intact and concentrated for the full 90 minutes, but Sol Campbell is not as young as he used to be, and a little less nimble than some of Chelsea’s younger forwards.

Forecast : Home Win

Related posts:

1. Premiership Arsenal v Chelsea
2. Premiership Newcastle v Chelsea
3. Premiership Liverpool v Chelsea
4. Premiership Chelsea v Manchester United
5. Premiership West Ham v Chelsea

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