Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers FC 8pm Tuesday 13th April

CR 7

v

Stamford Bridge
20.00 GMT
Live on: ESPN
Referee : Chris Foy

A must-win game for Bolton, looking to avoid relegation finish mid table.

I'll settle for a draw.

Predicted line-ups:

Chelsea:

Cech

Ferreira, Alex, Terry, Zhirkov

Mikel, Ballack, Lampard

Malouda, Kalou, Anelka


Bolton:



Jaaskelainen, Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Robinson, Lee, Muamba, Mark Davies, K Davies, Ricardo Gardner, Klasnic

Evil_Clown

+
= Victory for Bolton

I hope :pac::pac::pac:

Warper

If the game was at the Reebok there would be some hope for Bolton but at Stamford Bridge I can see this being a hammering - 4-0 Chelsea.

Essien

Its not a must win game for Bolton.

I can't see anything but a Chelsea win here, 3-0 or 3-1

Carroller16

C'mon BOLTON

messrs

would love to see Bolton win or even draw, but cant see it happening:(

mike65

Chelsea to seal title tonight.

GavRedKing

5-0 Chelsea

Im very optimistic about tonight and it will help for us to improve our goal difference.

IvySlayer

Looks like a Chelsea 2-0 win. Their confidence is high.

SlickRic

Owen Coyle doesn't generally do well in away games.

Chelsea are formidable at home, and the phrase 'scoring for fun' was coined for the sort of patch they're currently enjoying.

i predict 4-1.

Malouda, Alex, Drogba x 2.
Cahill with Bolton's consolation due to predictable bad set-piece defending from Chelsea.

Dave!

Easy game for Chelsea

SlickRic

Dave! wrote: »

Easy game for Chelsea

GavRedKing

Im hoping Ballack doesnt start. Please leave him out.

SlickRic

gavredking wrote: »

Im hoping Ballack doesnt start. Please leave him out.

yes, it would be better if you had 11 contributing players on the pitch.

bullpost

Think Ballack and Kalou are down to start.

GavRedKing

SlickRic wrote: »

yes, it would be better if you had 11 contributing players on the pitch.

+ 1

Im sure Mikel and Lampard would want to go get their shoulders checked, it cant be easy carrying 14 Stone of German International around for 90 minutes, cant be good for anybody.

Johner

Yeah Ballack and Kalou are starting.

Ballack was excellent when he came on against Villa, but I still don't think he should start games, bringing him on if we are winning is what we should be doing with him. We just can't start with Mikel and Ballack together.

GavRedKing

I suppose Carlo has one eye on the weekend game, and is maybe resting j.Cole for it. Deco just isnt up to it at the moment and J.Cole is steadily getting back into it, taking up some good positions and making space for other players.

Pepe LeFrits

Come on Jacky boy!

Mr_Roger_Bongos

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/8611471.stm

"Nicolas Anelka could come in for Didier Drogba"?

What's been the story with Drogba over the past few games was he carrying an injury or just being rotated to rest? If it's rest, what's he saving him for?

GavRedKing

Mr_Roger_Bongos wrote: »

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/8611471.stm

"Nicolas Anelka could come in for Didier Drogba"?

What's been the story with Drogba over the past few games was he carrying an injury or just being rotated to rest? If it's rest, what's he saving him for?

Drogba has a slight Hernia problem that needs a minor operation before the world Cup, I pressume this is what is keeping Carlo from using him, that and the fact in the few games we have not used him we have played like we didnt miss him.

Necronomicon

Park Ji Sung wrote: »

Bolton:

I fear it'll be more like



tbh

Dozen Wicked Words

Parking the bus, with a JCB up front battering the Chelsea defence. Kevin Davies is a big threat. Draw written all over it, but I am a pessimist.

PHB

What people dont realise that if Chelsea drop points it wont be the United fans celebrating the most, it'll be the Arsenal fans as they are currently 2 points behind United with a game in hand.

Pepe LeFrits

PHB wrote: »

What people dont realise that if Chelsea drop points it wont be the United fans celebrating the most, it'll be the Arsenal fans as they are currently 2 points behind United with a game in hand.

I realise that PHB

speedboatchase

FF-wise I need a lot of things to happen. I need Bolton to score (but not Muamba) to cancel clean sheets, I need Malouda to well (but not too well) and I need Lampard to score. Finally Anelka needs to be subbed with five mins left for playing crap and be brought on by Drogba who doesn't get a kick and then it's all over 1-1

:cool: It could happen

Paleface

PHB wrote: »

What people dont realise that if Chelsea drop points it wont be the United fans celebrating the most, it'll be the Arsenal fans as they are currently 2 points behind United with a game in hand.

G'wan Bolton!!!

DazMarz

Every time I have said the following this season, it has invariably gone tits up for Chelsea: they should win this game...

2-0 would be grand, tbh. I'll take that. But should be a win for Chelsea.

pistolpetes11

Johner wrote: »

Yeah Ballack and Kalou are starting.

Ballack was excellent when he came on against Villa, but I still don't think he should start games, bringing him on if we are winning is what we should be doing with him. We just can't start with Mikel and Ballack together.

Ballack was good , but he only had 10-15 minutes which i think is the best way to play if you must play him at all.

Kalou was a great sub , he was brimming with energy and gave his all

Johner

Drogba and Anelka both start. Malouda not starting.

pistolpetes11

Both Drogba and Anelka start , with anelka playing on the flanks and drogba as the lone striker .

Im going to go for 3-0 with Anelka setting up 2 of them

Come on you super blues

Johner

Michael Ballack returns to the starting line-up for the first time since the Inter Champions League match at the Bridge six games ago.

Deco is rested and is on the bench, as are Florent Malouda and, after three consecutive starts, Joe Cole. Salomon Kalou will play wide with Nicolas Anelka on the other flank. Both he and Didier Drogba start.

The defence is unchanged for a fourth game in a row. They have conceded two goals in the last three matches.

Bolton make two changes. Striker Jonas Elmander is left out as the visitors play Kevin Davies on his own up front. Gretar Steinsson and Matthew Taylor come in with Tamir Cohen dropped to the bench.

Chelsea are expected to line up in the following 4-3-3 formation:

1 Petr Cech
19 Paulo Ferreira
33 Alex
26 John Terry (c)
18 Yury Zhirkov
13 Michael Ballack
12 John Mikel Obi
8 Frank Lampard
39 Nicolas Anelka
11 Didier Drogba
21 Salomon Kalou

Substitutes: 40 Hilario, 43 Jeffrey Bruma, 52 Patrick van Aanholt, 10 Joe Cole, 20 Deco. 15 Florent Malouda, 23 Daniel Sturridge.

Bolton are expected to line up in the following 4-5-1 formation:

Jaaskelainen; Ricketts, Cahill, Knight, Robinson; Steinsson, Muamba, Lee, Wilshere Taylor; K Davies (c).

Subs: Al Habsi, Samuel, M Davies, Cohen, Weiss, Klasnic, Elmander.

The referee is Lee Probert.

"To my eyes, Chelsea have an easy game against Bolton on Tuesday. We would expect them to win that and it will put them four points clear."



http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/09/article-0-00EECE9700000191-841_306x423.jpg

ShoulderChip

What a fucking joke of a team, taking a big risk here Carlito

SlickRic

the guy grates me, but Ferguson is a bit of a legend with those sort of remarks. let's be honest.

and it should be easy, that's the thing.

at home to a team, whose manager struggles away from home it seems.

ShoulderChip wrote: »

What a ****ing joke of a team, taking a big risk here Carlito

no Malouda is surely the only problem?

Johner

ESPN had a (c) beside Lampards name for some strange reason.

Anyway COME ON YOU BLUES.

Panthro

ho ho, evening y'all.
h'up the blues!

Johner

Bolton have started well.

Gonzovision

I thought Ballack was supposed to be playing.....

Johner

We just havent turned up yet.

Panthro

we are a bit sluggish looking alright.
wonder will the changes in the line up serve us good or bad in this game.
hope yuri is ok

ShoulderChip

SlickRic wrote: »

the guy grates me, but Ferguson is a bit of a legend with those sort of remarks. let's be honest.

and it should be easy, that's the thing.

at home to a team, whose manager struggles away from home it seems.



no Malouda is surely the only problem?

I don't see why they are playing Ballack and Anelka also

I just sense a bit of complacency with them in the team, at least Joe is fighting to prove something, and don't see the point of Anelks on the right, it just doesn't work although admittedly better than 4-4-2

homer simpson

watching the game here and the atmosphere is dreadfull again!!!!

Chelsea started decent but bolton are growing into the game now, ballack is pretty much anonimus, but we come to expect that i suppose, hope zhirkov is ok

Yakult

What happened to Zhirkov??

SpodoKamodo

R_H_C_P wrote: »

What happened to Zhirkov??

Kevin Davies happened

Saw a good bit of blood, dunno what caused it.

2020: Nasty head injury here for Yuri Zhirkov. As the left-back leaps to head away Sam Ricketts' cross, Kevin Davies is running in from behind and Zhirkov meets the ball then Davies' head. Plenty of claret, and a large bandage being applied.

From BBC.

Johner

Close

Royale with Cheese

That is dreadful goalkeeping. Kind of thing I'd expect from Almunia. Although if Almunia did it, it definitely would have gone in.

the_monkey

bad feeling about this..

ShoulderChip

I like the way they applied Zhirkov's bandage it suits him

like an inverted carvalho

Lukker-

I hate the stupid decisions Anelka makes when he's on the wing