Allen Hamilton
What: Champions League – Group E
Who: Chelsea vs Valencia
When: Tuesday 6th December, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, England
Road to Recovery
Chelsea have endured a rocky patch of late, with manager Andre Villas-Boas’ position even coming under pressure. The Portuguese is trying to transform Chelsea while keeping a trophy-chasing show on the road – no easy task.
December has been identified as a key month by Villas-Boas and the Blues began in the perfect way, easing to a 3-0 victory at high-flying Newcastle United. The performance brought back memories of the Chelsea machine of old, that steamrollered opponents on their way to regular pot gathering. However, as the mood around St. James Park was most definitely Blue, Villas-Boas was forced to deflate it a little with the news that Nicolas Anelka and Alex have been granted transfer requests. Anelka already knows to where he will head, while for Alex, the future appears Italian.
Surging past Valencia here cannot be taken for granted, despite the club’s heroics in the North East. The winner of this progresses to the knockout stage, while for Valencia, a score draw is enough to book their passage at the expense of Chelsea. To complicate matters further, a goalless draw would take Chelsea through, unless group leaders Bayer Leverkusen lose to Genk. Calculations and computations – none will matter if the Blues win. But to do that, they must overcome a Stamford Bridge hoodoo, with losses there to Arsenal and Liverpool (twice).
“I’m not saying Stamford Bridge is a problem”, said Villas-Boas. “There is a problem with results at Stamford Bridge, but there is not a problem with Stamford Bridge.”
Spain’s Third Best Side
Barcelona and Real Madrid may be locked in an eternal battle to be crowned as Spain’s best, but in the real world Valencia are the first among equals. Sitting just four points behind second placed Barcelona and seven behind Real Madrid is in itself an achievement and finishing third is, in many ways, the new first in La Liga.
In Europe Valencia hold a good chance of inflicting a bloody nose on the big spending elites and know that a score draw would be enough here to see a knockout stage spot booked. At home, Los Che held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, a result which should give Unai Emery’s team confidence heading to London. Another confidence builder too is the club’s form since a hard-fought 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in the middle of November. Three wins on the bounce, including a 7-0 mauling of Belgian Genk and a weekend win over Espanyol have Valencia in good shape.
“This win shows us we have been doing a lot right lately, getting good results and that’s good for our confidence on Tuesday”, said striker Roberto Soldado. “Hopefully we will live up to this form on Tuesday and qualify, getting past one of the world’s biggest teams, who seem to be in good form too and won 3-0. It will be a very tough match.”
Recent form
Chelsea:
Chelsea 3-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (26/11; Premier League)
Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool (29/11; League Cup)
Newcastle United 0-3 Chelsea (03/12; Premier League)
Valencia:
Valencia 7-0 Genk (23/11; Champions League)
Rayo Vallecano 1-2 Valencia (26/11; La Liga)
Valencia 2-1 Espanyol (03/12; La Liga)
Key absences
Chelsea: Michael Essien; Josh McEachran
Valencia: Miguel; Ricardo Costa; Ever Banega (doubt)
Players to watch
Chelsea – Didier Drogba: The Ivory Coast international may be in the twilight of a sensational career, but he still has enough in the tank to be a real menace. Drogba is expected to leave Chelsea at the end of the season – the striker would dearly love to cap a seven-year adventure with the Champions League. He will do all he can to ensure Chelsea progress here.
Valencia – Roberto Soldado: Making the Mestalla faithful forget about David Villa was no mean feat, but it is one Soldado has accomplished. The Spaniard is Los Che’s main threat and, despite being well aware of the difficulty of winning at Stamford Bridge, is up for the challenge. As Valencia need to score here, Soldado will be a key man.
Match Prediction
A win for either side would settle matters and it is likely each will start with that aim in mind. If Chelsea can settle nerves with an early goal, then they could well ease to victory. However, if Valencia were to score first, heads could drop, remembering recent Stamford Bride disappointments. Chelsea to edge a thriller. Chelsea 2-1 Valencia.
