Matchday 19 ~ Chelsea vs Aston Villa

[Freddy Adu]

Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Premier League 2007/2008 | Campeonato | Day 19

Chelsea Aston Villa

Date 2007-12-26 City London Stadium Stamford Bridge Referee

[Cristiano Best 07]

5-1 Chelsea.

[Brasil]

I hope Villa can pull off a draw here, Chelsea has been shit lately.

[Freddy Adu]

Chelsea v Aston Villa

Stamford Bridge
Wednesday, 26 December
Kick-off: 1300 GMT
BBC coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match of the Day. Featured game on Score and Final Score.

[Freddy Adu]

Chelsea's third-choice goalkeeper Hilario could start, with Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini both out injured.

Cech is suffering from bruising picked up in Sunday's win at Blackburn while Cudicini is out with a rib injury.

Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov could be in line for a recall after making his comeback from injury as a substitute against Manchester City.

Petrov's former Celtic team-mate Shaun Maloney would be the player most likely to make way.

Interview: Chelsea boss Avram Grant

[Freddy Adu]

Chelsea (from): Cech, Hilario, Belletti, Ferreira, A Cole, Carvalho, Alex, Ben-Haim, J Cole, Lampard, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Shevchenko, Mikel, Sinclair, Wright-Phillips, Pizarro.

[Freddy Adu]

Aston Villa (from): Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, Taylor, Moore, Maloney, Cahill, Davies, Gardner, Harewood, Osbourne, Berger, Salifou.

[Freddy Adu]

Cheslea manager Avram Grant on Chelsea's injury problems:
"I cannot say it will be easy if we lose Cech.

"To play with so many injured for a long time, I don't like it.

"It's fact, and we need to get through it as soon as possible like we have done in the last three months."

[Freddy Adu]

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill:
"We've got a tough period coming up.

"But this time of the year is always critical because there are so many games in quick succession.

"You can recover from a poor Christmas but if you can do well it gives you an enormous spur."

[Freddy Adu]

BIG-MATCH FACTS

This is Chelsea's 300th home match in the Premier League and Aston Villa's 300th away from home.

Chelsea are seeking a 72nd home league game without defeat; Villa are looking to extend an unbeaten seven-match away run.

Chelsea have only lost one of their last five Boxing Day fixtures; that being the 4-2 reverse by Charlton at the Valley in 2003.

Villa have only won one of their last seven Boxing Day fixtures; three points were gained against Everton in the 4-0 home win in 2005.

Chelsea have won four and drawn one of their last five home Premier League matches against Aston Villa, but the Villans are unbeaten in four league matches against the Londoners (one win, three draws) and are chasing a first ever Premier League double over them.

[Freddy Adu]

CHELSEA

Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable: 3rd
Lowest could fall: 3rd

[Freddy Adu]

ASTON VILLA

Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable: 6th
Lowest could fall: 9th

[Freddy Adu]

CHELSEA

Didier DROGBA and Frank LAMPARD are Chelsea's top scorers with nine goals, and five each in the Premier League.

LAMPARD is one shy of 100 goals for Chelsea.

DROGBA is a hat-trick short of 50 Premier League goals in Chelsea colours.

[Freddy Adu]

If on the field from the outset:-

Ashley COLE will be making his 200th career league start (Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Chelsea).

[Freddy Adu]

ASTON VILLA

Gabriel AGBONLAHOR is Aston Villa's leading scorer, with six Premier League goals.

Gareth BARRY and Olof MELLBERG have both been on the field for every minute of every one of Villa's league and cup games this season.

AGBONLAHOR, BARRY, MELLBERG, Wilfred BOUMA, Martin LAURSEN and Ashley YOUNG have appeared in every Premier League game; no other club has as many as six players to have figured in at least a part of each of their league outings.

[Freddy Adu]

HEAD TO HEAD

Zat Knight scored on his debut for Aston Villa in the 2-0 victory in this season's reverse fixture, which helped shatter Chelsea's 18-match eight-month unbeaten Premier League record of 12 wins and six draws.

Villa's only victory in nine Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge was 1-3 on 11 May 2002, when Peter Crouch, Darius Vassell and Dion Dublin ensured an end-of-season maximum.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Chelsea 44 wins, Villa 48, Draws 29
Prem: Chelsea 13 wins, Villa 9, Draws 9

at Chelsea only
League (inc PL): Chelsea 31 wins, Villa 18, Draws 11
Prem: Chelsea 8 wins, Villa 4, Draws 3

[Freddy Adu]

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Chelsea 1-1 Aston Villa
30 September 2006 - Ref: Graham Poll
Chelsea scorer: Drogba 3
Villa scorer: Agbonlahor 45

[Freddy Adu]

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE

Aston Villa 2-0 Chelsea
2 September 2007 - Ref: Mark Clattenburg
Villa scorers: Knight 47, Agbonlahor 88

[Freddy Adu]

REFEREE

Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire)

[Freddy Adu]

Chelsea (3rd) v
Aston Villa (8th)

Last Season: 30/09/06, Chelsea 1 - 1 Aston Villa
D W W W L W Form W W L L D D

Chelsea coach Avram Grant could be forced to turn to third-choice goalkeeper Hilario for the Boxing Day match with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Petr Cech sustained a side strain in Sunday's 1-0 victory at Blackburn Rovers, while Carlo Cudicini is out with a training-ground rib injury.

If Cech is forced out, Chelsea will be missing the spine of their team as John Terry and Didier Drogba remain on the sidelines with foot and knee injuries respectively.

[Freddy Adu]

Starting Role

Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov is pushing hard for a recall to the starting line-up.

Petrov made his comeback as a substitute against Manchester City last weekend after missing the previous two games with a hamstring strain.

The Bulgaria international is challenging his former Celtic team-mate, Shaun Maloney, for a starting role in the Villa midfield.

[Freddy Adu]

Squads

Chelsea: Cech, Hilario, Belletti, Ferreira, A Cole, Carvalho, Alex, Ben-Haim, J Cole, Lampard, Essien, Sidwell, Kalou, Shevchenko, Mikel, Sinclair, Wright-Phillips, Pizarro.

Aston Villa: Carson, Mellberg, Knight, Laursen, Bouma, Petrov, Reo-Coker, Barry, Young, Agbonlahor, Carew, Taylor, Moore, Maloney, Cahill, Davies, Gardner, Harewood, Osbourne, Berger, Salifou.

[Freddy Adu]

Injuries & Suspensions

15 Malouda 1 Cech 23 Cudicini 11 Drogba 26 Terry Cut and paste above here, leave bottom row alone = suspended (1 match) = suspended (+1 match) = injured

[Freddy Adu]

Joe Cole

(Chelsea)
Back in the starting line-up and in goalscoring form.

[Freddy Adu]

Injury fears ease for Chelsea keeper Cech


Written by: AFP

	Chelsea´s goalkeeper Petr Cech (L) is helped from the field, December 23. Cech escaped serious injury and suffered just bruising to his hip when he limped out of the 1-0 win over Blackburn on Sunday.

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech escaped serious injury and suffered just bruising to his hip when he limped out of the 1-0 win over Blackburn on Sunday.

The London club said on Monday that the Czech international underwent a scan following the collision with Blackburn forward Roque Santa Cruz.

It was feared his injury could prove costly for the Stamford Bridge outfit, who are already without rib injury victim Carlo Cudicini for the home clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday.

"Scans have shown bruising around Petr's hip and side," said a Chelsea statement.

"We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming days and hope to have him back playing as soon as possible."

Third-choice keeper Hilario is likely to start against Villa on Wednesday.

[Freddy Adu]

No revenge, but Grant wants Chelsea win against Villa


Written by: AFP

	Chelsea manager Avram Grant, seen here on December 10, is counting on a much-improved performance from his players when they go out to protect their long unbeaten record at home against Aston Villa.

LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea manager Avram Grant is counting on a much-improved performance from his players when they go out to protect their long unbeaten record at home against Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Villa have already beaten Chelsea once in the Premier League this season, a performance three months ago at Villa Park which Grant recalled as poor.

While he is mindful of Villa's abilities, Grant is determined the Blues will rise to the challenge of keeping their unbeaten home record intact.

"We lost against Villa the last time we met them," he recalled.

"We didn't play well, even though we played with all of our squad - so we know they are a good, organised team with a good manager.

"It will be a tough match. But we are the home team. While I don't like the word revenge, we want to win - especially after our defeat there."

Grant is hailing Chelsea's chaotic Christmas fixture congestion as "exciting," despite an injury crisis which threatens to sour his team's festivities.

Chelsea have three games in a week - most likely without first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech, despite the encouraging news from scans on his injured hip yesterday.

Captain John Terry and striker Didier Drogba are also sidelined, but despite the injury setbacks Grant admits he enjoys one of English football's quirkier traditions.

"This is the only country in the world that plays over Christmas," he added.

"All the other countries, including my own of Israel, have a break at this time of the season.

"But for me it has been interesting to look on from the side.

"I don't think I've missed a game in England for more than 30 years, since I was 22.

"It has been very exciting watching from the side, but it's more exciting from the inside.

"I was in England last year with another club (Portsmouth), so for me it's exciting. This tradition is nice."

It was at Christmas last year that Chelsea's chances of a third successive title were blown apart by three successive draws.

Remarkably, the same situation threatens injury-hit Chelsea again.

With Chelsea six points adrift of leaders Arsenal and five points behind second-placed Manchester United, a repeat of last season's loss of form would kill off Chelsea's championship dreams.

For now, Grant is comfortable with Chelsea's third position in the league - and is refusing to discount Liverpool from the title race even though they are another four points off the pace.

"I think it's unusual to have four teams fighting for the title in December," he said.

"All four teams won their first game of the Christmas programme, so for you and us it will be an exciting title race this season.

"For us, six points is a gap we can make up.

"We just need to concentrate on winning our games because at this stage of the season there is not one team who will win every game from now until the end."

[Oscar Cardozo]

Goalkeeper Hilario looks set to fill in for Petr Cech, who is a serious doubt for Chelsea after picking up a hib injury against Blackburn, adding to the growing injury list for Avram Grant, with skipper John Terry and star striker Didier Drogba both already out. Martin O'Neill has no new injury worries as his side bid to repeat their shock victory from earlier this season.

[Freddy Adu]

FT Chelsea 4 - 4 Aston Villa

[Freddy Adu]

FT		Chelsea [4 - 4] Aston Villa
14'	[0 - 1]		S. Maloney
19'		M. Essien
44'	[0 - 2]		S. Maloney
45'	[1 - 2]	A. Shevchenko (pen.)	Z. Knight
50'	[2 - 2]	A. Shevchenko
55'			N. Reo-Coker
66'	[3 - 2]	R. Alex
72'	[3 - 3]		M. Laursen
80'		R. Carvalho
88'	[4 - 3]	M. Ballack
90'	[4 - 4]	A. Cole	G. Barry (pen.)
90'		M. Ballack	M. Harewood
90'		R. Alex

[Freddy Adu]

Originally Posted by Sergio Ramos

WTF!
This is some crazy ass result.