Saturday (05 November) 16:00 (GMT +1)
Ewood Park, Lancashire
Andre Villas-Boas' honeymoon is effectively over. Losses to Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal, coupled with a disappointing draw to Genk midweek have left Chelsea badly in need of a boost in spirits. With Didier Drogba sidelined due to a 3-match suspension, Fernando Torres will need to provide a better account of himself than he managed during the outing against the Gunners.
Villas Boas couldn't have picked a better counterpart to lock horns with. If Villas-Boas has to deal with rumbling murmurs of discontent with the new attacking formation he's endowed the club with, then Steve Kean faces a simmering revolt amongst Blackburn fans. For now, the board seems to have thrown its weight behind him, by banning the display of banners calling for Kean's ouster.
Blackburn have staged a rebound of sorts, losing just 1 of their last 4 games, and netting 8 goals in their last 3. With Chelsea going through a lean patch, this promises to be a cagey, tense encounter although it will take something special from the Rovers for Chelsea to return empty-handed; the Blues have managed at least a draw, against Blackburn in over 5 years.
Chelsea
Chelsea's starting line-up are expected to be largely unchanged from the one that started against Arsenal. After David Luiz's poor show against Genk, Terry and Ivanovic will start in the heart of defense. They will be flanked by Ashley Cole and Jose Bosingwa. Villas-Boas is likely to roll out the big guns in midfield, with Lampard, Meireles and Ramires walking in. Up front, the irrepressible Mata, will join forces with Torres and Sturridge to find a way to get past Kean's boys.
Contrary to Villas-Boas' adamant insistence Chelsea's new high-pressing game is here to stay, one can expect The Blues to field racism-row-embroiled John Terry in a more retreated position, to offer Cech additional cover . That should enable Terry, whose pace has deserted him, to play a more critical role when Chelsea are counter-attacked.
Chelsea are expected to retain the lion's share of possession against this Blackburn side, while Kean would do well to insist his men hit the former Barclays Premier League champions on the counter-attack. Chelsea have shown a distinct susceptibility to conceding when they're relatively thin at the back, and the Rovers should strike gold if they manage to put Cech under pressure a couple of times.
Trying to play Chelsea at their game, in contesting for midfield supremacy and maintaining a high-pressing style of their own, will be a foolhardy decision to adopt for Blackburn. Person-for-person, and on the bench, Chelsea overshadow Blackburn which means the only way the hosts can get a point or more out of the game, is if they adopt the age-old strategy for underdogs in asymmetrical warfare – guerrilla hit-and-run tactics.
If Chelsea successfully dismantle Blackburn in the first quarter, one can expect them to put the game beyond question by half-time. Which will be bad news for Steve Kean, because Venky's – Blackburn's owners – have made a fortune of culling poultry that don't lay golden eggs, and are unlikely to persist with him, for long.
Possible Starting Line-up (4-3-3) – Cech(GK); Cole, Terry, Ivanovic, Bosingwa; Lampard, Meireles, Ramires; Mata, Torres, Sturridge
Blackburn Rovers
Steve Kean deserves a break, for sure. But he isn't going to find it in the dressing room, when he draws up his team's starting line-up. Ryan Nelsen and Scott Dann are both nursing injuries and will be enduring a long spell on the sidelines. So, in all likelihood, Kean will opt for the same line-up that had Norwich on the mat with 8 minutes to go, before conceding two goals in controversial fashion.
Givet and Samba will provide an assuring partnership in the centre of defense, while Hoillet who's been the target of transfer speculation, will roam the flanks. Yakubu and Formica are expected to line up-front at the helm of Blackburn's traditional 4-4-2.
Possible Starting Line-up (4-4-2) – Robinson(GK); Lowe, Givet, Samba, Olsson; Rochina, Nzonzi, Pederson, Hoillet; Yakubu, Formica
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