Portsmouth Preview: Cech Back, Ivanovic Out
COME ON CHELSEA
By Since66
March 24 2010
Chelsea welcome back Petr Cech for tonight's game at Fratton Park against almost certanties for relegation, Portsmouth. The game is our game in hand and it should have been the game (after winning of course) that saw Chelsea go clear at the top of Premiership, but the disappointment of Sunday has put paid to that.
Instead we will just have to settle for being one point behind ManUre (subject to winning of course), and the game against the Champions edging ever nearer and nearer and nearer, we need to continually be hanging on their coat-tails.
Branislav Ivanovic has been ruled out for at least a month after tearing his medial cruciate ligment at Ewood Park. I can't help thinking that if Ivanovic had still been on the pitch, Diouf may not have got his goal, Diouf did and Chelsea were unable to do anything about it.
Ivanovic's injury doesn't leave us an awful lot of choice in the full-back positions! There is only Ferreira and Zhirkov to choose from. Cole, Essien and Bosingwa are long-term absentees, Belletti has gone back to Brazil for treatment (unconfirmed, although he hasn't been 'twittering' for a while).
Sam Hutchinson would be ideal as cover, but he is only just returning from injury (he played 45 minutes for the reserves last night in the 2-1 defeat away to Fulham). There is Jeffrey Bruma, Nikki Ahamed and Daniel Philliskirk who ALL have squad numbers - 43, 47, 48 respectively.
Time to throw the kids in Carlo!!
Tonight isn't going to be the foregone conclusion as everybody is thinking. Pompey have resigned themselves to their fate and can play the remainder of the season without pressure, fear or worry.
It's Chelsea who have the pressure, fear and worry.
Three points is an absolute MUST!!
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Losing Ivanovic is a blow but Ferreira is competent.
Amazingly, the title is still in our own hands - if we match Man Utd points (therefore Arsenal will stay behind us) and beat them at OT (a tall order given the current morale) then we will win it.
It will need a big turnaround re player performance though...
"It is born out of hypocrisy and fundamental insecurity. There have been two kids on the block for the past 12 years. Suddenly, there is a third and that one is threatening to be more successful than the others and they don’t like it." P Kenyon.
We`re back.
