Carlo Ancelotti

The Blues have won five out of five in the league thus far and already boast a goal difference of plus 20 in what is a record breaking start by the west London outfit.

Ancelotti’s side were too good for Blackpool on Sunday as they rattled in four goals in the first half.

They also missed a hatful of chances to further boost their goal difference before the Seasiders mounted something of a comeback in the second half.

While Chelsea might have been fortunate with their run of fixtures at the start of the season they have certainly shown their dominance after claiming their third Premier League crown last season.

However, a test of the champions’ credentials is likely to come at Eastlands next weekend when they square off against mega-rich City.

Roberto Mancini’s side are expected to push the Blues and the other title contenders all the way after another summer of spending.

It doesn’t get any easier after the trip to Manchester with Arsenal (1/5 – top 4 finish) making the short trip to Stamford Bridge on October 3, followed by a trip to Aston Villa (10/1) on October 16.

Ancelotti says he is expecting his side to be sorely tested in the coming weeks and claims he is hoping Chelsea will do better in their clash against City this season.

“I learned that we are in a good moment, we’re showing good play, we are fit, everything is okay at this moment,” he told Sky Sports.

“But we will arrive at more difficult games and we have to be ready for the next game.

“We wanted to start like last year, we had a good start last year, and we are doing that [again], now we have to look forward.

“Last year we lost a big game against Manchester City and this year we want to do better.”

The Italian revealed the Blues are expected to be boosted by the return of Frank Lampard and John Terry for the game against City on Saturday.

Both missed the visit of Blackpool last Sunday with their respective hernia and rib injuries but should be back at the weekend.

Chelsea welcome Newcastle (8/1 – 90 minutes) to Stamford Bridge for their Carling Cup third round clash on Wednesday.

Ancelotti is expected to start a number of youngsters in midweek and rest some of his big names ahead of the trip to Eastlands and the return of the Champions League next week.

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Tony Pulis

The manager has seen his side lose their first three games in the Premier League, the latest of them coming in a 2-0 defeat to defending champions Chelsea.

Stoke (40/1 to finish in the top six) were resolute and dogged throughout that game, but Pulis knows he needs to improve his squad if the club are to climb the Premier League table this season.

Pulis spent big money bringing Kenwyne Jones to the club before the start of the campaign and he has been linked with a host of transfer targets throughout the summer.

He is being linked with the likes of Jermaine Jenas, Hugo Rodallega and Eidur Gudjohnsen in the national press and the manager has admitted there are likely to be a few last-minute deals going through before the transfer window closes at 6pm on Tuesday.

“We’re hoping to get four or five players in by Tuesday and there will be players leaving as well,” said Pulis.

“It may go to the wire but we are prepared to wait and ensure we get the right deals.

“We want to bring in some younger players, some players who will improve the group. That is important.”

The manager will be hoping that he can have some new faces at his disposal when Stoke take on Aston Villa in their next Premier League game on September 13th.

One of the faces who could be on his way out of the Britannia Stadium is Bosnian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

The player was only signed from Portsmouth in January but has now caused controversy after he refused to play for Stoke in the Carling Cup (Stoke 40/1 to win Carling Cup) win over Shrewsbury.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates has admitted that Premier League champions Chelsea (6/5 to win the title this season) made a £4.5 million offer for Begovic that was rejected by the club.

He added that he is “not expecting” the west London side to come back with a bigger offer, but it could tempt Stoke to cash in on the 23-year-old if that did happen.

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