Tag Archives: change

Blues hope to change fortunes

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Bet on the Premier LeagueCarlo Ancelotti will be praying Chelsea can turn their poor Premier League form around when they take on Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (Chelsea 3/10, draw 4/1, Blackburn 8/1).

The Blues have been in mid-table form over the last couple of months, having only won one game in their last nine outings in the top flight.

Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Frank Lampard, who believes that the team are suffering from a lack of confidence.

This mindset will have to change very soon before Premier League frontrunners Manchester United extend their lead over the Blues even further.

Blackburn will welcome the return of their prodigal son Roque Santa Cruz, who completed a loan move from Manchester City on Friday and he will be desperate to play after becoming a professional bench warmer at Eastlands this season.

If Blackburn can keep Chelsea out for the first half hour, they could frustrate the home supporters, which would make life pretty difficult for Ancelotti and his men.

With confidence low and Rovers being difficult to beat, this one could be a draw and this would mean more dropped points for Chelsea.

Fellow title challengers Manchester City can close the gap on United at the top of the table if they beat Wolves at Eastlands on Saturday (Dzeko 3/1 to score the first goal).

City welcome their new signing Edin Dzeko, who is likely to make his debut for his new club as Mario Balotelli is sidelined with a recurrent knee injury.

The Bosnian striker could partner Carlos Tevez up front in what is likely to be a very attacking line-up against a struggling Wolves side.

Mick McCarthy’s side have lost more games this season than any other club in the league and currently sit just above the relegation zone in 17th place.

Despite Wolves having won two of their last three games with shock victories over Liverpool at Anfield and Chelsea at Molineux, a win against an attacking City side will be extremely difficult to achieve and the home side should come out on top in this one.

Arsenal have had a difficult week by their standards. After scraping a 1-1 draw against Leeds United in the FA Cup, they went down 1-0 in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final against Ipswich Town in midweek.

Although they have found playing against Championship opposition heavy-going, they should come out on top against West Ham United at Upton Park on Saturday.

The Hammers have started to get some results in the Premier League and remain the only side to have beaten Manchester United this season, albeit in the Carling Cup.

Avram Grant’s side remain rock bottom of the Premier League table though and are likely to stay there for at least another week unless they can pull off a shock victory over the Gunners (West Ham 5/1, draw 14/5, Arsenal 8/15).

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Gunners look to change mindset

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Earlier this week Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas said that he felt his team get “too scared” when they take on the other top teams in the Premier League. Well once again the Gunners will lock horns with London rivals Chelsea in a massive game at the top of the table (Arsenal 6/4, draw 23/10, Chelsea 9/5).

You can see where Fabregas is coming from just by looking at their results this season.

A 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United which followed a 2-0 beating by Chelsea earlier in the season says it all.

Granted these were away ties, but judging by some of the excellent performances that the Gunners have produced this season, there was great expectation that they could get something out of those games.

It has been Arsenal’s inability to get consistent results against the top team which has meant they have been out of the running for the Premier League title in past seasons.

But this campaign, with so many of the top teams dropping points against side’s that many would expect them to beat, the Gunners are right in the middle of the chase for the championship.

In the past Arsenal relied on a bit of steal in the middle of the park that helped them in the big games.

The likes of Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit, who were clearly unafraid to make tough tackles, were the foundations of victories in the past.

Jack Wilshere, for all his outstanding talent on the ball, must try and fill that role for the side despite not having all that much experience in these big games.

However of all the times to face Chelsea this is probably the best.

The Blues have not picked up a victory in their last five Premier League outings and have seemed low on confidence since the departure of Ray Wilkins from Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are currently in fourth spot in the top flight after making an outstanding start to the campaign, winning their first six games.

Fans of the Blues will be pleased to hear that Frank Lampard is back in the starting line-up and he will be a major boost for his side (Lampard 15/2 to be first goalscorer).

The England midfielder has been out with a hernia and groin muscle injuries and they will need his influence in and around the box if they are to get anything out of their visit across the capital.

This game will really boil down, as it does in many games, to confidence.

If Arsenal can use the confidence that they show in games against lesser sides they should come out on top in front of their home fans.

However if Chelsea can regain their confidence with the boost of a Lampard return they could make Carlo Ancelotti’s position at Stamford Bridge a lot safer going into the New Year.

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Fergie unsurprised by Reds change

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Manchester United (8/11 favourites in the match betting) boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that Rafael Benitez was lucky to last as long as he did at Anfield ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with arch-rivals Liverpool (4/1 to win, 5/2 the draw).

“I wasn’t surprised at all that Liverpool changed their manager in the summer. I think everyone expected it even though Benitez had signed a new contract,” Ferguson told The People

He added: “That was the only complication about it. If he hadn’t signed a contract the previous season then I am sure he would have gone before the end of the last season.”

Benitez signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool back in June of last year but his contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier in the summer and he left to take up the reins at Inter Milan in June of this year.

New Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson will welcome back captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres, after the players were rested for the Europa League win over Steaua Bucharest in midweek, for the game at Old Trafford, while Joe Cole is able to return after serving his three-match ban for his red card picked up against Arsenal on the opening weekend.

Hodgson, who has seen his Liverpool side register just five points from four games in their opening fixtures of their current campaign, said ahead of the clash: “The first thing to do when you go to Old Trafford is to defend well because there are some very good attackers.

“They are very dangerous offensively so if your defensive set-up is wanting then they will punish you.”

United, who already trail title rivals Chelsea by four points, are likely to welcome back Rio Ferdinand for his first Premier League start of the season, with in-from Dimitar Berbatov partnering England striker Wayne Rooney (4/1 to score first goal) up front, but will be without Anderson, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as well as Antonio Valencia, who suffered a horrific injury in the draw with Rangers in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed though that Nemanja Vidic will get the captain’s armband back, despite Ferdinand skippering the side in midweek, and will be keeping it for the rest of the season.

“He started the campaign as captain and it will stay that way,” Ferguson said. “What we wanted was someone who was consistently available for us.

“Everyone recognises Nemanja Vidic would always be there. He has been fit all season and you don’t leave him out of the team unless you are going to rest him.”

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