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Showing posts with label Barclays Premier League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barclays Premier League. Show all posts

Chelsea Football Club is an English football club based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1905, they play in the English Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Fulham Football Club is a professional football club based in Fulham, London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, southwest London.



Jose looking for goals

Jose Mourinho and Chelsea's attentions return to the Barclays Premier League on Saturday after their midweek Swiss slip up. Mourinho puts his unbeaten run of 62 Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge on the line against west London neighbours Fulham in the week the Blues lost a home Champions League group game for the first time in nearly 10 years. Chelsea have also made their worst start to a Premier League season in a decade - winning only against Hull and Aston Villa, while drawing at Manchester United and losing at Everton - in an inauspicious opening to Mourinho's second spell as boss.



The solution for Mourinho is simple. "We need to score goals," Mourinho said following the Basle defeat, Chelsea's first in 29 group-stage matches at home. "When you don't score goals you are in trouble." Ramires is available following his European suspension as is fellow midfielder Michael Essien, who is not part of the European squad, but is available domestically. Mourinho is expected to rotate his options, with Fernando Torres in line for a recall up front. Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov (hamstring) will have a fitness test. Forward Darren Bent (hamstring) is back in the squad, but Bryan Ruiz (ankle) will miss out. Defenders Aaron Hughes (thigh) and Matthew Briggs (hernia) are still sidelined along with first-choice goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (shoulder). Boss Martin Jol knows better than to take the Blues lightly despite recent results.


He said: "I think if we beat them it will be the first time that they have lost three games in a week, so it puts a little bit more pressure on them. "However, I don't know if it is an advantage or not. "When they lost against Everton, it put pressure on them in the Champions League, so they had to win that game. "So to talk about must-win games, I think that for Chelsea this is a must-win game against us because they want to be champions in England."


Paul Lambert will hope his Aston Villa side can turn their fortunes around when they travel to his old club Norwich City on Saturday. Villa have lost their last three Premier League games after getting off to a perfect start with a 3-1 opening-day victory at Arsenal. Defeats at Chelsea and at home to Liverpool were followed up with a 2-1 reverse against Newcastle United at Villa Park, meaning a more positive result is needed at Carrow Road.


Lambert – who managed Norwich for three years before leaving for Villa last June – can take heart from his team’s recent record at his old stomping ground though, as they won there twice last season in the Premier League and League Cup. New signing Libor Kozak is in line to make his full debut for the visitors, and should be full of confidence after netting for the Czech Republic against Italy in the recent international break. Kozak could partner last season’s top scorer Christian Benteke up front, and the Belgian has picked up where he left off this term, scoring four goals in as many Premier League games.

However, Lambert will need to reorganise his midfield for the encounter though, with Jores Okore ruled out for up to nine months after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament in the defeat to Newcastle. There are no new injury worries for Norwich manager Chris Hughton though, with only long-term absentee Elliot Bennett (knee) unavailable.

Hughton’s men have also made a sluggish start to the season, winning just one of their four games. They have picked up four points from their two home games though, but Hughton is expecting a tough game against Villa – the only team to beat them at Carrow Road in their last 11 competitive home fixtures.

“We will be tested because they are a young and exciting side. They have good offensive options and are going to play a certain way which makes it difficult for you,” the former Newcastle boss said.

Hughton will be hoping Johan Elmander can get off the mark having failed to find the net in his first three games for Norwich after joining on a season-long loan from Galatasaray. The Sweden international is likely to partner fellow newcomer Ricky van Wolfswinkel up front, with the Dutchman also looking to get back among the goals after a three-game barren spell since scoring against Everton on the first day of the season.

Norwich are coming in to Saturday’s early match undefeated in 10 of their last 11 home matches in Premier League competition against an Aston Villa team that has not won any of their last three games.

Of the two teams Villa has scored more goals (5-3) and the goals allowed is rather even with Aston Villa allowing 6 and Norwich giving up 5. Norwich are currently 14th in the table with four points while Villa are 17th with three points. They both have one win apiece while Villa have three losses compared to Norwich’s one draw and two losses.

All in all it looks like this could be a match with interesting, unpredictable results. My prediction for a result is a draw. This is one that could swing either way with neither team really showing much defensive fortitude to start this season. The one thing going for Norwich is that their one win came against an opponent similar to Aston Villa in their 1-0 home win over Southampton.



Sevilla FC and Valladolid may have started the Primera Division season with wildly differing expectations, but it is Monday's hosts and not the visitors who are on the backfoot with nearly half the campaign gone.The Rojiblancos have flattered to deceive over recent weeks, a 5-1 derby victory over Real Betis and a 6-1 aggregate win over Espanyol in the Copa del Rey arriving during a woeful run of results that has left Michel's men struggling in 11th place.

Promoted Valladolid are one place better off and in the top half, with only a poor away record denying the Pucela a loftier position in the standings.But Sevilla boss Michel now wants his players build on recent positive results in a bid to engineer a swift return to the European places.He told AS: I expect to see more of the Sevilla that these players have shown me recently, a Sevilla side that is starting to enjoy more good games than bad ones.



Sevilla FC vs Valladolid
Date : 03/12/2012
Time : 20:30 GMT
Venue:Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan

The players are high on confidence and they showed as much in the Copa del Rey.When the first-team squad is running low on energy we give games to those who want to play. Cala has always responded well and Botia has played in a lot of games.Chilean midfielder Bryan Rabello, 18, is another player who has impressed Michel of late, with young striker Alex Rubio also entering Sevilla's short-term plans.

Rabello has proved to be a quiet and sensible player,Michel added.He's been playing very well for the youth team recently and it's possible that he will get some game time.
Alex is not scoring that many goals in the youth team but I hope he will take advantage of an opportunity to join up with the first team.

Valladolid fell foul of Sevilla's city rivals Betis in the Copa del Rey this week, slumping to a 3-1 aggregate defeat having won the first leg 1-0.Pucela head coach Miroslav Djukic is wary of suffering a similar capitulation at the hands of Sevilla, telling Marca:They will play the same way and we have to be prepared.We have to play with personality and play our own game. The players have the chance to prove they have the character to stay above their rivals and this game is as tricky as they come.